Shadow Of The Snake
by Kyuubi666
Summary: Frighteningly similar to Tom Riddle, Harry Potter is a genius who surpasses even the greatest warlocks ever lived. Diving head first into the intricate world of wizarding politics, Harry dissects the secrets of Magic and he shall rise. "I alone stand supreme on Heaven and Earth." Quidditch & Guilds.
1. St Margaret's Orphanage

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 1

Disclaimer : Harry Potter or anything else I may have used does not belong to me.

Author's Notes : Well, this is my first harry potter story, hope there aren't anything I may have missed. Enjoy!

* * *

Dumbledore seemingly glided through the dark and dank streets. His bright purple robes were extraordinarily dazzling, in contrast with the dull grey of the street tiles. Ominous black clouds covered the sky, only allowing the tiniest beam of light to escape through a crack or two. Dreary apartment buildings lined the street, as insignificant as possible. The smell of rain assaulted his nose, as did the slight stench of week old garbage emanating from an alley to his right.

The floor was wet, the aftermath of a slight drizzle, and Dumbledore paid extra attention to each step, careful not to slip and fall. He was over a hundred years old after all. Dumbledore could barely contain his excitement. For years he had searched for him, after his aunt and uncle had abandoned him somewhere. He would have interrogated them for answers if he could, but they had moved out of the country and it would have been impossible for him to locate them in a foreign country without causing an international incident. After all, if the Supreme Mugwump and the one who's acknowledged as the most powerful wizard alive visited a foreign country, cries of outrage could cost him his job.

Dumbledore had almost exhausted his resources, his connections, everything he had to try and locate Harry Potter – The-boy-who-lived. Or so the entire European wizarding world knew him as. But try as he had, no one could find the the last member of the noble house of Potter, as the father of James Potter had often reminded him of before his death. Ah, that man threw quite a fit when he discovered James had married a muggleborn discreetly, and had almost disowned him had he not been told of Lily's pregnancy. Not only was his anger doused, he was elated.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts shook his head, no use allowing his mind to drown in nostalgia. There was much more important things to do, and he briskly increased his pace. Dumbledore turned a corner and was greeted with a sight much welcome.

The large building was gloomy and lifeless, it must have had been an architectural gem when it was first built. It's gothic design, once magnificent, now gave a melancholy air of hopelessness. Metallic fencing surrounded the entire building, leaving only a single entrance which was already open. The word's _St. Margaret's Orphanage_ was carved into the pillars by the two sides of the gate.

Albus shook his head in disapproval, young Harry was forced to live in such a place for his entire life? Nine, maybe eight years, inhabiting this grim institution for unwanted children? Dumbledore shivered at the similarity between Harry Potter and... _Him._

Dumbledore entered the gate, and walked past the lawn's healthy yet monotonous leaves. He approached the large wooden door, paying attention to the richly carved door. Albus raised his hand and gave three resounding knocks on the door. The sound was strangely welcomed in the otherwise oppressive silence. The lock behind the door was unlocked and it creaked open.

A woman, around the age of fifty greeted him at the door. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with a pair of glasses resting firmly on her sharp nose. The wrinkles on her face was less evident with a layer of powder over them. Her eyes shone with a gleam of discipline and gave off a 'no-nonsense' demeanor. She wore an old green blouse, and a skirt that touched the floor.

"Who are you?" She asked, rather rudely, Albus thought. The woman gave a huff of breath, apparently annoyed at something.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, I am to assume you have received my letter?"

The woman's eyes widened in realization "You're the headmaster, aren't you? The one from that school."

Albus gave a well practiced, grandfatherly smile "Yes, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, here to meet with one of my future students."

The woman pursed her lips, before her eyes lowered. "You're here to meet with _him _are you?" The Headmaster tilted his head in curiosity

"If you mean young Harry Potter by him, then yes." He was shocked when he saw the woman openly flinch at the sound of Harry's name.

Her former disposition was gone now, her shoulders were slumped, and she opened and closed her mouth before speaking "A-are you sure?"

Dumbledore frowned "Yes, I am sure. Is there a problem?" The woman bit her lips, as if struggling whether to speak the truth before looking over his shoulder and once she confirmed no one else was there he motioned for him to enter.

The doors closed and Dumbledore followed the woman curious what had gotten over her, when he had mentioned Harry's name. Could something have happened to him while Harry was living here? He needed to find out. As they went up the stairs the woman started to speak.

"Harry Potter was first left here around eight years ago. He was found by one of our volunteers on our doorstep, with his birth certificate. Harry was two years old when we found him, barely able to recognize people's faces." Dumbledore inwardly frowned, so the Dursleys had left Harry here when he was only two years of age.

The woman continued "It was not an unique event. Such an occurrence was regular and an unwanted child would be left here once a week at least. Harry was very normal growing up, he was rather quiet as well, having no friends nor family that visited him. He kept to himself and remained unnoticed by any couples who wanted to adopt a child. Then... strange things began to happen when he was five."

The headmaster of Hogwarts felt his heart skip a beat. Accidental magic was a definite trait in a child with magic. Even muggleborns were prone to frequent bouts of accidental magic before being taught control in Hogwarts. This usually happens when a child is seven to eight years old. Again, he could not help but be reminded how familiar this was.

"It began with small things, stuff disappearing and moving by themselves, occurrences were rare and far between . Then weirder things started to happen, freaky things..." The woman stopped moving, clearly uncomfortable with talking about whatever it was she had deemed freaky.

"Please, continue." Albus prompted.

She did nothing for a moment before she continued walking "I remember, it was when Harry was seven, by then most already suspected or had an inkling that all the supernatural things that were happening was caused by him. A rather spirited boy, Joshua, joined the orphanage. He was eleven, an unusual age for a boy to enter an orphanage, apparently he grew up in a... inappropriate environment for a child."

"Joshua was a bully. Though the fault could not be taken on him, the poor boy did not know any better. He took things from the other children, and slapped or kicked them when they refused to part with their possessions. At eleven years old, he was one of the oldest in our orphanage at the time and he finally crossed the wrong boy." Albus heard her voice shake. "He somehow provoked Harry, and, well... Harry did not take kindly to that. I was in the hallway on that day, and the next thing I knew was Joshua flew out of the window of the second storey and b-broke his neck. He died instantly. Though everyone knew it was Harry who did it, there was no proof other than the fact he was looking out the window when I found him."

"The rest of the years went by, with the other children often complaining that Harry was weird, and when more older children joined the orphanage, the kids found the courage to start teasing him, forgetting the incident with Joshua. That was when stranger things happened. Some of the children grew boils on their bodies, some tripped and fell for no apparent reason. The teasing stopped completely when a few kids disappeared one day."

They had passed by several doors and they stopped in front of one labeled 'HP'. "I was rather confused by the letter I received, mister Dumbledore. In all the years I have spent as the caretaker of this orphanage, I have never seen any family of Harry's. I was rather dubious when the letter mentioned that his parents were once students of this prestigious private school of yours, until you arrived. If you wish to take him away, feel free." The woman turned towards the door "It would be better if he left..." she whispered to herself, but Dumbledore heard her.

She knocked on the door, before a voice came from within "Come in." Albus realized this was the first time he had heard young Harry's voice, ever since he had entrusted him to the Dursleys. It held a faint similarity to James, and a feeling of reminiscence he had once forgotten. The caretaker opened the door to reveal a small spartan room. It consisted of a bed, a study table, a small cupboard and had naught but a few books on the table.

In the room was a young boy and Dumbledore almost fainted at the sight. His smooth and straight jet black hair was slicked to one side, his fringe slightly covering his left eye, drastically different from the uncombed mess his father had. It seemed he had no need for the glasses his father would have been blind without. He had his mother's eyes, bright green and almond shaped. Albus could still see the distinctive sheen of brilliance within those emerald orbs Lily had possessed. The most eye-catching of all his features was the lightning-bolt scar upon his forehead. It was slightly faded now, unlike the last time he saw it when it was still reddish and raw.

Most importantly, it frightened him how similar he looked to Tom. He could still remember, visiting young Tom Riddle when he was just a boy, sitting on a chair in his room in the orphanage, just as Harry was right now.

"Harry, you have a visitor." Harry looked up in curiosity and saw an old man, dressed in ridiculous purple robes that must have went out of fashion 400 years ago. Mrs. Aldrin, the caretaker motioned towards the old man. She caught Harry's stare and immediately left the room without another word. Dumbledore gave little notice to the woman's departure and approached the young boy infront of him. Finding a spot on the bed, he sat down.

The two found themselves in a staring match for half a minute before Harry spoke, his eyes despondent and voice impassive. "Who are you?"

Dumbledore, glad that the silence was over replied "My name is professor Dumbledore, I'm from Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Harry's eyebrow rose at that "Witchcraft? Wizardry? Are you from an asylum?" Dumbledore straightened himself, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was flowing, frighteningly similar to that day.

Harry continued, "I know she thinks I'm crazy. She wants me gone. She thinks I'm different, they all do. They want me locked up."

Albus leaned forward "Hogwarts is not an asylum for the insane, I assure you. Hogwarts is a school, a school of magic."

Harry stared back indifferently "You can do things, can't you Harry. Things other children can't." Harry shifted in his seat, and Albus knew he had struck the bullseye.

Harry continued to stare at Dumbledore, without revealing a shred of emotion. "I can move things, make them fly. I can push things away from me, pull things to me." Harry narrowed his eyes "They say I am weird, that I'm unnatural. They call me a freak. I can do things to people who are mean to me. Bad things. I can make them sick, make them trip... If I want."

Dumbledore was surprised, this was the most emotion he had seen from him since the start of the conversation, granted it was only malice and spite but still, it was improvement.

"Who are you?"

The simple repeated question pulled Albus from his thoughts. "I am Professor Dumbledore, and I am the same as you. I'm different."

Harry pondered for a moment before replying bluntly "I don't believe you. Prove it." Dumbledore paused for a moment, considering Harry's request before the door slammed shut. Harry's eyes shot towards it, knowing he had nothing to do with it.

Then he floated up, along with the chair he was sitting on and the table as well as his books. The old man remained on the bed, still grounded by gravity while he gave Harry a cheeky smile before setting him down, returning the furniture where it had once stood. Harry gave a faint smile, before it disappeared completely. "I believe this could serve as sufficient evidence, Harry." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling in amusement.

The boy glanced at the table, as if disbelieving of what had just happened before returning his gaze to Dumbledore. "If I go to Hogwarts, I can learn how to do that as well?"

Albus smiled, knowing he definitely had Harry on the hook now. "No, no, Harry." The boy's mouth tilted downwards in microscopic proportions, indicating disappointment, before Dumbledore continued "You can learn so much more then you will ever imagine."

Harry looked up, completely silent, emotionless and cold. Dumbledore seeing that he could extract no further response from the boy, reached into his robes and reached out to give Harry the letter. "This is the official Hogwarts letter of acceptance." Harry grasped it lightly and detach the seal on the envelope. He then quickly scanned through the letter.

* * *

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**Headmaster : Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceror., Chief **

**Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International confederation. of Wizards)**

**Dear Harry Potter, **

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. **

**Yours sincerely, **

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress **

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

**Uniform**

**First-year students will require :**

**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings) **

**Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.**

**Course Books**

**All students should have a copy of each the following: **

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk **

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot **

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling **

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore **

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger **

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander **

**The Dark Forces : A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble **

**Other Equipment**

**1 wand **

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials **

**1 telescope **

**1 set brass scales **

**Students may also bring an own OR a cat OR a toad. **

**_Parents Are Reminded That First Years Are Not Allowed Their Own Broomstick. _**

**Yours sincerely, **

**Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus**

**Chief Attendent of Witchcraft Provisions**

* * *

Harry looked up from the letter, confusion perceptible on his otherwise calm face. Albus smiled, slightly unnerved at the child's cool and calm persona. "I realize there must be many terms used that you might not be familiar with, do not fret as I will personally escort you to the place where all of the items needed can be purchased."

Harry nodded before glancing back at him. "You might not realize this, but I'm an orphan sir. I do not have the sufficient funds needed to purchase all of these."

Dumbledore was taken aback, and though he held an impassive face, his own mind was in turmoil. Should he reveal to Harry his parents and their wealth? What if he is angry that though his parents were wealthy he had to suffer in an orphanage for years. Or should he hide this knowledge from him, and inform Harry of funds given to Hogwarts every year to be loaned to orphans or financially troubled families.

Albus shook his head, Harry had suffered enough, to hide even the names of his parents from him would be more than cruel. "Harry, have you ever wondered who your parents were?" The boy in question eyed the man infront of him with distrust yet he remained silent. "Your father was James Potter, while your mother was Lily Potter."

The window shattered.

Pieces of broken glass flew from the window, stabbing themselves in the grass field with more force than natural. Dumbledore widened his eyes "Harry, calm down." Yet though he said that, Harry looked the same as before. Eyes dull with boredom and indifference. The aura around him however, was drastically different. Strands of magic leaked out of him and threatened to wreck havoc.

"Where are they?" Harry asked, with the same aloof tone he had used since the beginning of the conversation. The floor underneath them was straining against the pressure Harry's magic was exuding.

"They're dead." The simple words made the pressure immediately disappeared and the strands of magic dangling dangerously retreated into Harry."How?" The raven haired boy asked curtly.

Dumbledore considered his next answer. "They were killed." Almost instantly, the pressure returned.

"Who?" Harry asked, his voice laced with venom.

Dumbledore nodded gravely before he spoke "Ten Years ago, there was an evil wizard, his name was Lord Voldermort. He was extremely powerful with fanatically loyal followers. He pursued the idea that all non-magical people were inferior and did not deserve to live. With this in mind, he launched a brutal war against any wizard or witch who were against him, and by his definition, anyone who were not with him, were against him. He ruled over his men with fear and instilled fear of him and his name into almost everyone within the wizarding world."

He paused to see Harry absorbing and analyzing every single word he said in his mind. "Your parents, they were the light's most courageous and most skilled. They actively defied Voldemort and his ideas, knowing that magical and non-magical people are of equal status and deserved equal treatment. And for their defiance, Voldemort killed them... and you."

Harry's eyes widened in realization, then narrowed in suspicion. Dumbledore continued "Well, he tried to kill you. But somehow, be it luck, chance, fate or the stray hand of God, you did not perish. You survived and he didn't. It is now common knowledge within the Wizarding world, that Harry Potter, a one year old infant killed Voldemort, somehow."

The boy-who-lived frowned "This Voldemort... he is dead? I killed him?" Dumbledore hesitantly nodded, not knowing what his answer might result in. "And I am famous for something that might not even have been my doing?"

Dumbledore nodded again "I understand all of this might be too much for you to handle right now, introduction to a new world, learning of your parents unfortunate demise, and now you learned that you are quite a celebrity in the Wizarding world. I admit, this is quite a conundrum. If you wish to, I will return tomorrow and leave you with your thoughts for now. Oh, and because of your parent's unfortunate and untimely demise, they left you with quite an inheritance. More than sufficient to cover any expenses you will need for the seven years in Hogwarts."

Harry nodded "That is for the best, Professor." However just as Albus approached the door, he heard Harry speak. "I can speak to snakes too. They find me. Whisper things. Is that normal for someone like me?"

Dumbledore froze in his steps before slowly turning back. Harry was standing up and staring at him, needing an answer. How was this possible? The exact same scene occurring decades from each other... "That is a rare gift, Harry. It is called Parseltongue, the ability to talk to serpants. You will do great things, I am sure."

Albus exited the room, but as the door closed, he let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. The conversation Albus just had was too eerily similar to the one he had sixty years ago. He had made a mistake then, by not monitoring Tom closely enough. And now, a frighteningly similar situation has presented himself, could he afford not to keep a closer eye on Harry Potter? Albus Dumbledore mulled over this as he apparated into the dark sky.

Harry had sensed that old man the moment he arrived. That man, Dumbledore, had suddenly appeared in the middle of town, as if he had teleported or something. Harry could teleport too, it was an easy task after he had discovered his talents. He could sense that old man was different from the rest of the rot eating fools. He could sense that he was same, as him. Harry had heard the conversation he had with the caretaker. Rather rude of her to speak of him behind his back, perhaps he should punish her for the insolence before he left.

Voldemort, it was a name Harry had mixed feelings for. For one, he hated the man for killing his parents. Though he only have faint memories of the green eyed, red-haired woman and a man with black messy hair, they were still his parents who had brought him into the world. However, his ideas were not that far off either. These people, who called him a freak, did they truly deserve life? Harry smirked, they would be better off as fertilizer for trees. Or course, he would not call for their deaths like this Voldemort would. They would be better used as servants or slaves.

Harry gave a dark chuckle. He was a wizard, he should have known. Harry could do things no one he had seen could imitate, until today. He was going to go to this school and he was going to learn magic. Actual magic! Harry raised his hand and cupped his palm. Fire burst into life within it before floating and dancing around his hand. Harry wondered if all of these wizards and witches could do this too. The fire extinguished without a sound nor trace of its brief existence.

The last remaining Potter turned towards the bed, its covers smooth, except for the slight disruption caused by the old man. He raised his hand and focused all his will into his finger tips and through the air and into the bed. Harry had never tried to lift something so large and heavy, often contemplating it, though he had never experimented with this magic nor had he tested the limits of it.

The bed shivered slightly before Harry let his arm down and wiped his brow of the single pearl of sweat staining it. Something so tedious will be definitely difficult, but he would be successful, he always was.

Harry walked out of the room and turned to see a few of the children who were not-so-secretly staring at his room. They immediately stiffed and turned away. Harry frowned, this would not do. He would not be able to intimidate the rest as he did in this orphanage. There were much more powerful wizards, like that old man, who could put him down if they sought to. No, he could not go into this Hogwarts and intimidate the students or teachers. Not that easily anyways.

As Harry walked along the hallway, he chanced upon a little girl sitting by herself, with a stuffed horse or pony. The four year old bundle of innocence had not known about Harry's reputation yet, seeing as she had just arrived yesterday, and none of the other children dared to badmouth Harry fearing the consequences if they did. The four year old turned to him and gave a look of curiosity and slight hesitance. Harry gave a gentle smile. The little girl immediately smelled back and reached towards him.

He would have recognized the out stretched hand as a threat if it was anyone else, grab it by the wrist and squeezed till he heard a 'pop'. However, he let the hand grip his fingers and pull them. Harry continued smiling, he had the charisma of a beloved world leader. He knew that if he had not went with the path of fear, and instead used his charisma to recruit all of the children here, he would have been the leader of this orphanage within a few years. Leader huh? That appealed to him. Harry smirked and gently pulled back his fingers and patted the girl on her head before walking off. He would not follow in Voldemort's footsteps. That man was wrong to have tried to rule with fear. Harry would be different. He turned to a bunch of frightened children who were watching his every step and gave a charismatic smile. They were at first reluctant, but slowly approached him. This was easy, Harry thought.

* * *

Dumbledore arrived in the orphanage the next day at 9 in the morning, again knocking on the door and being greeted by the head caretaker of the orphanage. When she asked for the paperwork needed for official records, he merely waved his wand infront of her silently and she immediately turned away before asking him to follow her, as if the paperwork was complete gone from her train of thoughts. When Albus reached the same door as yesterday, the door opened before he could even knock.

Harry was dressed better than yesterday, a button-up shirt along with a jacket, pants and smart shoes. His hair was still the same as yesterday, slicked to a side and slightly covering his left eye. Albus was too surprised yesterday to have noticed that young Harry's hair was not the messy tuff of hair James had, nor was it the sightly messy hair Harry had when he was but an infant. "I have been waiting, Professor." He spoke, with the cold tone Albus hadn't gotten used to yet.

Dumbledore merely gave a grandfatherly smile, eyes twinkling. "Yes, you must be rather excited for your first glimpse into the wizarding world, no?" Harry did not reply but instead looked ahead indifferently. Albus dropped it and led him out of the orphanage.

Out on the empty streets, Harry glance at the elderly wizard beside him "Where is our destination, Professor?"

Dumbledore turned to him and smiled "We shall be purchasing all the equipment and materials needed for your stay in Hogwarts at a rather unique place called The Leaky Cauldron."

Harry gave a soft hum and spoke "What does a location representing a faulty large metal pot have anything do with the wizarding world?"

Albus was inwardly gleeful about the excitement Harry must have, despite his aloof and apathetic appearance. He could see shreds of childish enthusiasm behind those cold green eyes. "You will find out very soon, Mr Potter. Please take my hand." Harry looked at the offered appendage with distrust before begrudgingly gripping onto the old man's wrinkly hand.

Without prior warning, Harry felt a pulling feeling on his core as he was suddenly dragged away from his spot and landed in another foreign place. He looked at Dumbledore who was as calm as before "What was-"

Albus answered before hearing the entire question "It's called apparition, a magical method of transportation many wizards use though disastrous if botched up." Harry took a pensive moment while the professor was rather amused to have surprised the otherwise cold child.

They had appeared infront of a pub of some sort, a sign handing on top of the door. This is the Leaky Cauldron, hmm? Harry mused internally. It certainly fits the image, a broken-down old shop, this is. Dumbledore opened the door and Harry could see the dark interior of a shabby bar. Both of them entered and Harry saw multiple patrons, either drinking or eating, wearing similar robes and hats as Dumbledore, though not in the almost luminescent purple.

Most of them stopped eating, having noticed Dumbledore within their midst. A man behind the bar turned to look at the old man "Good morning, Professor Dumbledore, what business brings you here?"

Dumbledore greeted back jovially "Good morning to you as well, Tom. Well, I'm here to bring Mr. Harry Potter here to buy his school supplies." The silence that followed after that sentence was almost abnormal.

The next moment, Harry found himself mobbed by almost every man or woman in the bar, he almost instinctively pushed them back with his magic before Albus positioned himself between Harry and the rest of them. "Welcome back Mr. Potter!" "Thank you, Mr. Potter, thank you!" "Good to have you back, Mr. Potter!" These were only a few of the lines he could pick up from them.

Albus cleared his throat "People, please, give him some space!" The mob retreated embarrassedly. "Mr. Potter appreciates your well wishes, but we must go now to purchase his school supplies. The day is draining, and we have much to do." At that, they gladly cleared a path to a back door and watched them go through it before starting to mutter among themselves excitedly.

Harry tugged at the collar of his shirt "That was... bizarre" he said, still with the same uninterested tone.

Dumbledore nodded "Yes, like I've said yesterday, you are a bit of a celebrity here, Harry, the people are grateful that you defeated Voldemort, a terror no one could stop. They call you The-Boy-Who-Lived. The scar on your forehead represents your heroic victory over the Dark Lord." Harry did not reply though he was smirking within 'A celebrity, The-Boy-Who-Lived hmm? That makes things much easier.'

In front of them was a chilly courtyard and a brick wall. Before Harry could say anything, Dumbledore went up to the brick wall and tapped a few bricks in a counter clockwise order. Harry was glad he stayed his tongue as the brick wall opened up and formed a large archway, revealing Harry's first glimpse into Diagon Alley.

Dumbledore walked forward and Harry silently followed him. "This, is Diagon Alley, where an assortment of restaurants, shops and more are found. The alley is completely hidden from the non-magical world, and is essentially the trade centre of wizarding London."

It was amazing, there were shops selling all sorts of animals with birds and owls on stands in the front, open windows revealing all sorts of gory substances, from a jar of small eyeballs to what seemed to be an animal's heart. Bottled potions and spell books. Rolls of parchment and a box of quills. The sight and smells were enough to slightly overwhelm Harry, as the sounds many wizards and witches going about their morning business left him speechless. It took all the self control Harry had to not run about like an immature child looking and touching everything.

Albus looked towards the distance, "Our first stop will be the Gringott's Wizarding Bank. It is where wizards go to store money and valuables within vaults, as well as to exchange muggle currency for wizarding money. With complete humility, I can say that other than Hogwarts, Gringotts is the safest place in the wizarding world."

They approached a large white multistoried marble building which towered over the neighbouring shops. "We will be withdrawing the required sum of money you need from your trust vault. Everything you need for Hogwarts can then be bought here, in Diagon Alley.

As they took the first step within the extablishment, Harry Potter drew in a sharp breath. Small creatures were walking around, wearing robes and suits tailored to their size. They had long fingers and sharp nails, elongated ears and hooked noses.

Dumbledore noting Harry's discomfort quickly explained "They are goblins, a race of highly intelligent beings who are skilled with money and finances, as a result, they run the Gringotts Wizarding Bank and control the wizarding economy to a certain extent. Do not be fooled by their appearances, to offend one would be rather risky to one's physical health."

Harry looked down and muttered under his breath "Gee, thanks for the heads up." Dumbledore heard that apparently and chuckled.

As they passed by two large goblin guards, Harry watched them with an analytical eye. When one of them turned to look at Harry menacingly, the boy chuckled and bowed in greeting "Good morning, Mr. Goblin." Said goblin guard looked rather taken aback, wizards and even their spawn would not pay any attention to him except for the deadly halberd he had in his arm and especially not bow and greet him. Not used to such a greeting, the goblin merely nodded in acknowledgement without saying anything. Engraved on the open silver doors were the words:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath out floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware _

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Dumbledore noticed Harry bowing to the Goblin and was quite pleased knowing that since the boy had grown up in a muggle environment, he did not know of the prejudice between wizards and creatures, sentient or not. Several of the goblins who had noticed the human child's interaction with their goblin guard were equally shocked at such behavior. Even muggleborn wizards did not show such respect when they first arrived, especially not to a large intimidating gate guardian.

They continued walking, Harry occasionally glancing at the hurrying goblins, more waddling than running to their desired locations. They approached the highest desk at the back of the first floor and on it a goblin sat, making calculations before noticing the pair in front of him. "Albus Dumbledore, what may Gringotts do for you today?"

The goblin looked at Albus for a moment before turning his attention to the boy with him."Good day, Head Goblin Torak, I am here to make a withdrawing on the behalf of Mr. Harry Potter here from his trust vault."

The Goblin's eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter, glancing at Harry's scar, before narrowing it "Ah, and does Mr. Harry Potter have his key?" Harry watched their exchange with mild interest while rearranging his hair to hide the scar, uncomfortable with how people was identifying him by it, as Dumbledore fished within his robes and retrieved a single bronze key.

"Right here. Also, I'm here for the object within _that _vault." Torak nodded his head in understanding before calling out "Griphook!"

The goblin wearing a vest and shorts appeared from out of nowhere "Take them to Vault 687 and Vault 713." Torak ordered. The newly arrived goblin gave them a look over before beckoning them to follow him. They were led to a cart and before Harry could position himself properly, the mine-cart started moving and sped downwards.

They quickly arrived outside a vault. The goblin named Griphook announced "Vault 687!" and got out of the cart. As they reached the vault door, he turned to Dumbledore "Key please." Albus handed over the large bronze key and the goblin opened the vault door. When the vault door creaked open, golden light shined from within.

As the door opened completely, Harry potter saw his parent's fortune. Small mountains of gold coins, silver coins and bronze coins covered most of the room. Harry took a stumbled step, this was all his?Gears turned in his head, but maybe this wasn't a lot, maybe the wizarding currency rate was really low. He turned to the goblin. "Mr. Griphook."

The goblin gave an annoyed look "What?" Undeterred by the apparent hostility, Harry continue. "Could tell me what is the conversion rate from wizarding money to non-magical currency?" Giving a groan the goblin started "A galleon is equivalent to five pounds sterling."

Harry look cocked his head to one side "Galleon?" Griphook gave an incredulous look "A galleon is the gold coin. One galleon is equivalent to seventeen sickles. A sickle, the silver coin, is equivalent to 29 knuts, the bronze coin." Harry looked over at the piles of gold and silver coins mentally doing some calculations. If a small mound had a few thousand galleons, then the total amount of money I have should be around fifty or sixty thousand galleons, which is equivalent to more than 250 thousand pounds sterling! After coming to this startling revelation, Harry was deep in contemplation for a moment.

Dumbledore looked at Harry in deep thought and though he was glad Harry was finally able to discover his fortune yet not jump around like a fool, he really needed to get going. The Philosopher's stone was too important and dangerous to leave lying in a vault, no matter how secure. "Harry, let's take what we need and leave. I need to go to another vault today."

Harry glanced at Albus before mentally smirking "Oh.. okay, professor." He started, sounding dejected. "It's just, I've never been near so much money before, and now I hear it's all mine? I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. And especially since my parents were the ones who left this to me..." Harry faked a choked sob.

The Headmaster immediately softened "I understand, Harry. Why don't you stay here for a moment while I retrieve what I need. Then I will come back and take you to buy the school supplies you need."

Harry immediately swung towards him "Oh, please do not let me keep you from your important business. I can buy my school supplies myself."

Dumbledore shook his head "I can't let you go alone, you are but a child."

Harry looked down "You learn how to take care of yourself when you don't have anyone to look out for you..."

Albus sighed "Harry, my boy, I..."

Deciding to give one last push, Harry looked at him with a slight smile "I want to explore this new magical world anyways, it wouldn't be proper of me to keep you from your work. You must have a busy day ahead of you."

Dumbledore sighed, finally relenting. "Alright, Harry. I will allow you to purchase your supplies by yourself. Now, do not spend too much on frivolous things, and do not leave Diagon Alley until you're ready to go home. When you want to go home, exit the Leaky Cauldron and stand on the curb. Raise your wand in the air, when you've already bought one, and a Knight Bus will arrive almost instantly. The bus fare will be eleven sickles. Take care of yourself, my boy."

Harry smiled "I have been taking care of myself ever since I realized no one would, sir." Dumbledore gave a gentle smile and was about to leave before Harry called out to him "Will you be taking my Vault key?"

Startled, Dumbledore turned back "Well, I'm not really taking it, but just holding it for you."

Harry looked crestfallen, "Oh, okay. I just thought I could finally keep something that is my own now."

Dumbledore glanced at the key and Harry. "But, I know you are responsible enough to keep it safe." He parted Harry's jacked and placed it in one of the inner pockets.

Harry grinned, "I won't let you down professor!" Albus smiled back "I know you won't, Harry."

When Dumbledore finally left, Harry's attitude immediately changed. He turned to the Goblin. "Griphook, take me to the Head Goblin." Mildly surprised by the sudden change of personality, the Goblin mumbly closed the vault door and brought Harry back to the surface.

When they reached the same high desk, the Head Goblin leveled an eye on the child in front of him. "How may Gringotts help you, Mr. Potter."

Harry leaned forward "I shall assume that all information between Gringotts and its clients are strictly confidential, yes?"

The Goblin looked affronted at that. "Of course! Betraying credentials of our valued clients is forbidden, and is seen as a crime deserving of death."

Harry nodded, satisfied for now. "I heard something Professor Dumbledore said which caught my interest. He mentioned that the vault I was brought to, vault 687, was a trust fund account."

Torak nodded briefly "Indeed, everything within vault 687 currently was deposited as a trust fund account by your parents."

Harry's unmoving lips cracked a small smile "Then am I correct to assume there is a family vault which belonged to my parents?"

Torak smiled, now he knew what game the child was playing. "Yes, you will be correct in that assumption. The most noble house of Potter is an ancient household that has accumulated many riches throughout its existence. You do not truly believe whatever is in the trust vault to be everything the Potter family has, do you?"

Harry smirked "And if I was to ask to be granted entry into these vaults?" The Head Goblin leaned in real close "Then you will have excess to the immense fortune of the noble house of Potter."

The child could barely withhold his laughter, if he thought that the amount of galleons in his trust vault was enormous, he could not wait to see what was within the Potter family vault. Torak leaned back "You will of course first be tested of your lineage in order to truly confirm your claim over the Potter family vaults."

Harry cocked his head to a side "Vaults? S as in plural?"

Torak nodded "The house of Potter has held lordship over numerous minor households, and thus has received tribute from these families, even till now. The tributes given are all stored within a separate vault."

Harry locked into a thoughtful expression "May I have a list of properties as well as the total amount of money I have that belongs to me?"

The Head Goblin nodded "It will take some time to compile everything, contrary to popular belief of arrogant purebloods, we don't have the complete compilation of their families' finances at hand that we could slip to them right away. You will be going to Hogwarts, no? You could go purchase your required supplies before returning here. In a couple of hours."

It was a fair suggestion, nodding in acknowledgement, Harry turned to the goblin. "I agree. I trust you shall have everything ready by the time of my return. In the mean time, I shall require galleons withdrawn from my trust vault and placed in a pouch."

Torok shook his head "Do not confuse us with common rabble. Faruk! Bring one of the Vault-to-credit pouches." Another goblin walked to the High Goblin before placing a medium sized pouch.

"This pouch will be keyed directly to your vault and you will be able to withdraw any amount from it directly from your vault. It was been warded to prevent theft or wear and tear. The only person able to excess your vault through this pouch will be the one with your blood and also in possession of the vault key on their body." With that, Torok handed over the pouch while Harry raised an eyebrow at the amazing things Magic could do.

Without another word, Harry turned away and walked off. Harry stepped out onto the pavement of Diagon alley, with excess to tens of thousands of galleons and without an annoying chaperone. He retrieved the Hogwarts letter with the list of supplies needed for school. 'First up, I am going to need something to store all the supplies I will be buying. A trunk, perhaps.' Harry started walking through the bustling street, wizards and witches alike going about their business, glancing about, looking for what he needed.

Finally, he found a shop that sold magical trunks and other bags. The store's exterior was cover in slick red paint, and had the sign 'Baldwin's Magical Trunks and Bags'. A few trunks, satchels and briefcases were on display outside with a wary shopkeeper watching them. Without a second thought, Harry walked up to the shopkeeper "Good morning, Mr. Baldwin, I presume."

The man scoffed and said "Bah, I'm not Baldwin. That old coot is inside tinkering with more bags. What do you want?"

Harry blinked sharply at the rude tone but ignored it. Dumbledore had mentioned that he was quite a celebrity, the man must not have recognized him since he hid the scar with his hair earlier. "I will be going to Hogwarts this year and will require a sturdy and useful trunk to carry my supplies. Which will you recommend?"

The shopkeeper's attitude completely changed at the prospect of earning money "Well, then you're in luck! We have the latest in trunks, only the best for all the future Hogwarts students! Anything you require, we've got them at Baldwin's Magical Trunks and Bags!"

Harry's eye twitched at the obviously rehearsed speech. Gesturing to where a few of the fancier trunks were sitting, the man continued "Over there, we have the best trunks for sale today. With over 10 compartments, all charmed to expand upon opening it up, you will never run out of space!"

Harry tapped his fingers impatiently. "I'm afraid 10 compartments might not be enough."

The shopkeeper's smile faded for a second before it returned full force "You seem to be looking for something better. How about this," He gestured to the sole black trunk upon a stand of sorts. "That is our best trunk in stock yet. Its exterior is made of dragonhide, while its interior is sewn meticulously with acromantula silk. 15 compartments, all warded with preservation charms and is charmed to be bigger than it looks. I guarantee, this is a purchase you will not regret."

Harry rolled his eyes and was about to turn around and leave. The dragonhide looked tempting, but he was looking for a trunk, not a fashion statement. "Ah, look at what you've done, you dunderhead, chasing away a customer!" An old gnarly voice could be heard from inside the store.

An old man, with more wrinkles than skin appeared. "Tell me, young man, what is it you are looking for?" Harry looked over the old man, his hands were rough and calloused, unusual for a wizard. His clothes were stained in a few areas with what seemed like oil and grease.

"Well, before your assistant tried to sell me redundant trunks only fit for displaying, I told him that I was a Hogwarts student and needed a trunk that can hold all my supplies and more." Harry told him, while the old man nodded.

"Trust me, when I say we do have what you need, and not some trunk only good for display." He shooed the younger shopkeeper away, who gave a sour expression. "How much room are we talking about here?" the old man asked Harry as they headed into the store.

"I will be purchasing many, many books and tomes, as well as potion equipment and ingredients." Harry started as the old man mentally took note of it. "Sufficient and comfortable space for storage of other items and trinkets I may acquire in the future. Most importantly, are the wards on the trunk itself. Tell me, what does your shop have to offer in that aspect?"

The old shop owner chuckled and slightly stroked his thin beard. "Oh we have a variety of effective and useful security wards. Anti-theft wards, durability-wards, shrinking wards, recalling wards, colour wards-"

Harry held up a hand. "I will be purchasing the best security wards you have as well as the shrinking ward and durability ward. What does the recalling ward do, though?"

The shop owner rubbed his hands together "Oh, that is one of my more ingenious creations. See, most wizards and witches occasionally face the trouble of losing their trunks and bags, and perhaps because their luggage is made of magic-resistant material, they cannot summon it. The recalling ward will allow the trunk to almost instantaneously appear in your hand. So perhaps if one if lazy and can't be bothered to retrieve the trunk yourself, just by willing it, the trunk will appear in your arms!"

Harry looked pensive at that but decided to go for it as well. The two discussed about the further uses of different wards on the trunk before the old man mentioned an invisibility charm on the trunk. Harry cocked his head to a side, a habit he had unfortunately been unable to get rid of. "What will an invisibility charm be useful for?"

The shop owner gave a thoughtful look. "Well, you can hide the trunk from muggles who are not used to seeing such luggage." Harry stopped him "I keep hearing this word, muggle. What does it mean exactly?"

The old man looked taken aback. "You do not know what are muggles? Oh, pardon me, I assumed you were raised in the wizarding world. Muggles are basically people who are born into non-magical families and are incapable of magic."

Harry nodded, motioning for the man to continue. "There are unique cases where people who are born into non-magical families yet is capable of using magic, these are termed muggleborn. Half-bloods are magical beings born from a pureblood and a muggle while pure-bloods are those born of two pure-blooded wizard and witch. Squibs are people incapable of magic yet who are born from magical families."

Harry was upset that Dumbledore did not bother to explain such, assumingly common concepts, to him. "Thank you for that explanation, and no, I shall not require the invisibility ward."

The shop owner nodded his head "That settles the wards, now what material will you want for the trunk?" This continued on for awhile.

After 20 minutes, they finally decided on every aspect of the trunk. After doing some mental calculation, the old man looked apprehensive. "Taking in the costs of the numerous wards, the space-expanding charms and material, the construction of the trunk will come up to a total of 1300 galleons. Do you have such an amount, boy?"

Addressing Harry as anything short of a valued customer was a first as the man finally realized he had spent the last 25 minutes talking to a 11 year old boy who might not even have enough money to purchase the trunk. The boy's decisive tone, mature confidence and charismatic conviction made him forget that he was talking to a child, not an adult.

Harry revealed the pouch from Gringotts, "Money is not an issue right now. 1300 galleons, wasn't it?" Facing the opening of the pouch to a table, he released 1300 galleons with a few extra. "That is more than enough. I can only assume you will be doing an outstanding job. When can I expect my trunk?"

The man's stare never left the pile of galleons as he replied, with widened eyes. "It will only take two or three hours, since I will be using a base trunk before adding the wards and charms."

Harry did not like how he was paying more attention to the gold than him, but such is the nature of man. "I will be back to pick up my trunk. Do not dissapoint me, Baldwin."

* * *

Harry turned to face the entirety of Diago Alley. His miserable, ophaned life had just ended. Paths were opening up infront of him. The future seemed bright. Harry gave a dark smile, his adventures were just beginning.

* * *

End! How did you like it? Next chapter will have Harry exploring Diagon Alley. Look out, Dumbledore, or you won't even know what hit you.

A/N : So this is my very first Harry Potter story. I have been fascinated with the wizarding world ever since I started reading HP fanfictions. I find the Harry Potter world humongous, with too things to discover and explore that I found myself mustering the courage to start typing the first few words for this story. I hoped you enjoyed it. Love it, Hate it, Review it. I would really appreciate any comments and criticisms you guys have to offer, this is after all my first HP story, and I really don't mind being lectured for any misgivings I might have, anything I phrased wrongly or if I included something that doesn't make sense.

_Seriously, Review._

_Well if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter) _


	2. Diagon Alley

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter nor anything else I may have used.

Author's notes : I finally found some time in between my tight schedule to write this. My preliminary exams just ended, so I find myself with a whole weekend of free time! Whoopee! How long has it been, since I had some time to read a book or play League of Legends? However, don't expect chapter three to be updated so quickly. My preliminary exams may have ended, but my finals are a few months away. So don't expect any content at all until December.

* * *

Turning to glance at the parchment in which the required items were written on, Harry considered the following things he needed. Books, robes and potion equipment and his wand. He was definitely going to take a long time with books, so it would be easier to purchase the robes he needed first. Besides, his muggle clothing seemed to be garnering lots of attention, and not the good kind either.

Harry walked away from Baldwin's and started to look around. The alley was crowded with numerous witches and wizards.

Harry did not feel comfortable here, but he knew he couldn't show it. The key to building relations with others was a polite and friendly demeanor. If he revealed his anxiety and nervousness, the vultures and hyena would tear him apart.

The boy looked down before looking back up, his indifferent gaze replaced with a confident and slight smile. Harry was actually rather surprised Baldwin and his assistant didn't recognize him. His hand reached towards his forehead, touching his long hair fringe that was covering his scar.

Was the-boy-who-lived represented by this scar? Was the scar all that symbolized his existence, was his own person insignificant compared to the person of the-boy-who-lived? Harry wasn't angry, he was calculative.

If that was so, then the scar he always thought marred his appearance could be used as a tool. Yes... if people idolized him and his scar represented the victory against Voldemort, such a tool would be most useful when approaching people and even forging alliances.

As Harry continued his internal debate, he was inspecting Diagon alley at the same time. There were many shops, most of them he was tempted to visit if not for the tight schedule for his desire to see Wizarding books.

There was a store that displayed brooms behind windows for some odd reason and another that seemed to be an ice cream shop. Harry mentally snorted, he had discarded his sweet tooth long ago.

Looking around, Harry was not sure if it was such a good idea to let Dumbledore leave as Harry realized he had no idea where to buy what he needed. However, such an opportunity would be rare, to be allowed to explore Diagon alley without adult supervision.

Spotting a shop with a small crowd within, he glanced at the sign and was relieved to have finally found his objective. Entering Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, Harry noticed a few mannequins displayed inside, dressed in robes and a few other unique outfits.

It seemed that the Wizarding world did not have a very large color palette as most robes were in dark colors : black, green, blue and others. There were a few other patrons, expected since Hogwarts was starting soon and the students needed to buy new robes for school.

Inside, there were a handful of shop assistants helping the patrons with their measurements while a single older lady, the shop owner presumably, stood in the middle instructing them. She held a measuring tape and looked strict as she waved her hands around, gesturing if one if the assistants made a mistake.

Realizing there was another customer in the store, Madam Malkin immediately approached him. "Hello, dear. Hogwarts?"

Harry turned his attention towards her "Indeed. I will need three sets of-" He was rather rudely interrupted by her.

"Plain black robes, one black pointed hat, one pair of protective gloves and one winter cloak. Right?" The woman interjected. Though she might have done so with the best intentions, Harry did not like her patronizing look.

Usually, he would have walked out immediately, but he was in an unfamiliar land and frankly this shop was the only one he could find that did not looked shady or fraudulent.

Giving a smile, Harry nodded "Yes, how did you know?" The woman chuckled "Oh I've been measuring and selling robes to Hogwarts students ever since I set up my store here in 1963! I could tell you all the strange and irregular requests I have received over these years for the entire day and not be finished. Now follow me and we will get you measured." Harry did so without a word.

She set him up on a stool, "Hold on, I will get one of my assistants to help you. I've been hiring many of these young ladies as assistants. They're Hogwart's students themselves. Nymphadora!" She called out.

"Coming!" From the back of the store, a girl with a bright magenta colored hair walked out, her hands holding a measuring tape. "Madam Malkins, could you please not call me that?" The girl pleaded.

The woman merely smiled "Oh, why would you dislike your own name? Personally, I find it really pretty." The girl just silently grumbled as she approached Harry. Madam Malkin was pulled away when she spotted one of the girls fumbling with the tape "Oh, that's not how you do it!"

Harry looked at the girl in front of him. The rude woman said she was a Hogwarts student, perhaps it would be beneficial to know an older student at school. "Hello" He started off.

The girl turned to him and gave a bubbly smile "Hi! So, Hogwarts right?" Harry nodded "Yep, this will be my first year." The girl grinned "A firstie, huh? Well, this will be my seventh year and let me be the first to welcome you to Hogwarts. I'm Nymphadora Tonks, and don't use my first name or I will give you a very hazardous demonstration on the hexes you will be learning."

Harry gave a smile back "Nice to meet you, Nymphadora Tonks." The girl's eyebrow twitched while her hand hovered above the wand in her pocket threateningly "Oh... you're lucky I can't use magic outside of Hogwarts, or you would be regretting those words." Harry raised an eyebrow "Is that so, Nymphadora. So you won't be able to do anything if I call you Nymphadora, right Nymphadora? "

Tonks bit her lip in frustration, she really wanted to choke the boy in front of him if not for the fear of being caught by Madam Malkin. She glanced back at the shop owner who was paying close attention to all the shop assistants. "You got guts, kid. I'll give you that."

Harry chuckled "I apologize, that was incredibly rude of me... Tonks."

Nymphadora gave a satisfied smile "Well, seems like you do have manners after all."

Realizing this was a good chance to receive some information about Hogwarts he asked "Well, do you have any tips or advice for a first-year?" Tonks put a finger to her chin and settled into a thinking expression "Well, first off you need to know that the potions professor, Snape, is a total git."

Harry gave an inquisitive look, prompting her to continue "Well, he is completely biased towards Slytherins and treats all the other houses badly, well except Ravenclaw, they are too smart to have points taken. He would give Slythering points for the most inane things like having good teamwork when making a potion, or the correct attitude in class. On the other hand, he would take points from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for the most inane things as well. Breathing too loudly, walking too slow, _being clumsy_." She said, spitting out the last two words bitterly. "He also supports the long rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, often finding fault in Gryffindor students while defending his Slytherins during any disputes."

Tonks caught the look Harry was giving her and blushed in embarrassment "Sorry, I was ranting. But you get the point. Next, most Slytherins are prejudiced against non-purebloods. Namely muggleborns and half-bloods. And even if you're a pureblood, you need to be in the upper echelons of society to be even considered as one of them. Not like most purebloods in other houses want to be one of them, of course."

Nymphadora started measuring his shoulders as she continued. "Next, the library is a great source of information and also a great place to study if your house's common room is too noisy. There's a wide variety of books that cover tons of subjects. I'm no Ravenclaw, but I spend lots of time there too."

As she started on his waist she continued "Oh, and another important thing is to tickle the pear." Harry raised an eyebrow "Tickle the pear?" Tonks nodded "You see, the students and teachers eat in the great hall during meal times, and the food is prepared in a kitchen before being sent to the hall. Not many students know where to find the Hogwart's kitchens, as it is hidden. But I will tell you cause your so cute," Nymphadora pinched his cheeks while Harry desperately calmed himself down, and did his very best not to kill her.

"The kitchen can be found directly under the great hall. To gain access to the kitchens, you have to tickle the pear painted in a portrait of a bowl of fruit which will then turn to a green door knob. Within, you can ask for some food from the staff." She finished, at the same time as finishing the measurements.

Nymphadora was about to leave before turning back "Another advice I can give you, and the most important in my opinion, is to make friends. Seven years will seem a lot shorter with some friends by your side for the entire journey." Giving another smile, she turned to leave before backtracking again "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Harry smiled, mentally hoping it looked genuine and charming, he was still new at this. Before looking around, faking caution. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm Harry Potter." Tonks stifled a gasp "Wow, it's true, the-boy-who-lived will be coming to Hogwarts this year. Then you have the..." Harry glanced up before shrugging and lifting his hair covering the scar slightly.

Her eyes widened at the sight "Well, I better get back to... I mean, it was nice to meet you." She stumbled a bit before leaving to find Madam Malkin with his measurements.

'Friends, huh? I already know that without you telling me. Though the information she gave me was rather interesting. But what did she meant when she said houses? Hmm, I will have to find out soon. I don't like not knowing things.' While he was waiting, a boy stepped up on the stool next to him.

Harry turned to him, quickly analyzing the boy next to him. He had white-blonde hair, slicked back and cold gray eyes.

The boy spoke first "Hullo, Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded with a crisp and decisive manner. "Yes. It will be your first year as well, I assume?"

"Yep. Which house do you think you will be in?" The boy asked, while an assistant proceeded to take his measurements.

Harry pondered for a moment before answering. The only reason for someone like him to ask that question was so he could state the house he wished to be in. That's the whole point for asking someone such a question.

It might not have a consequence at this moment, but if his answer was not to his liking, then there might be adverse effects in the future.

The boy wore expensive looking clothing, so he must have been from a well-off family. The snobbish attitude and the slight arrogance he gave off must meant that he was either foolishly cocky or confident in his family's social standing. He must be a pureblood then.

From what Nymphadora told him, it seemed that Slytherin was the preferred house of purebloods. Hence, it would be to his advantage if he answered Slytherin. However, if he was a pureblood yet he wished to enter another house say, Gryffindor, then that might give a bad impression to him since Gryffindor and Slytherin are rivals.

He could give a vague answer like "I'm not sure" or "Maybe Slythering, maybe Hufflepuff" but that would only make him think that he was unconfident and unsure of his decisions. He would then think that Harry was unable to stand up for himself and give him some trouble.

He couldn't say that he did not know what these houses represented as well, he would seem like a muggleborn who doesn't know anything about the Wizarding world. And since most purebloods are prejudiced against muggleborns, Harry would lose a potential ally even before Hogwarts.

Harry took a gamble "I'm leaning towards Slytherin, but I wouldn't mind being placed in Ravenclaw as well." To his relief, the boy grinned.

"Me too! My entire family has been Slytherins for generations, so I know that's where I'm headed. Ravenclaw wouldn't be my first choice either, but it beats being a dumb Gryffindor or worse a _Hufflepuff._" The boy enthusiastically said,

He then extended a hand toward Harry. "Nice to meet you, I'm Draco Malfoy."

Harry shook it with a firm grip "Nice to meet you too, I'm Harry Potter."

The boy, now identifying himself as Draco, widened his eyes "You're _Harry Potter? _The boy-who-lived?"

Harry was worried about the rather loud reaction he was giving, worried other patrons would hear him even though it seemed that none has, not even the shop assistant that was measuring Draco.

"Shhh, not so loud. I don't appreciate people shouting out my name, Malfoy." Harry spat out, narrowing his eyes.

Draco looked embarassed, "Sorry, but it's just a pleasant surprise. Who knew the boy I was speaking to out of boredom would be Harry Potter." He said, now in a softer voice.

Harry raised an eyebrow "Should I be glad that you seem to be so amazed at who I am, or you only spoke to me because you were bored."

Giving another flustered look, the blonde smiled uneasily, unsure of what to say under the careful scrutiny of the boy-who-lived.

Realizing the now awkward silence between them might scare him off, Harry chuckled. Laughter was the best way to diffuse a tense situation, and though a full-blown laugh would be too much, a slight chuckle was just perfect to show an amused and calm disposition.

"Don't worry, I was just joking." Before Harry could say anything else, Madam Malkin approached him.

"The measurements has been taken, let me confirm your order. Three sets of plain work robes, black. One black pointed hat. One pair of dragon hide protective gloves. And black one winter cloak with silver fastenings. Anything else you want to add?"

Harry thought for a moment "Make it five sets of plain work robes and two pairs of protective gloves."

Madam Malkin nodded, mentally noting the additional orders. "Anything else?"

"I want my robes and cloak to all be made of the best quality material you have?" Harry spoke up, looking directly into here eyes to show confidence.

She looked reluctant "The best material we have would be Acromantula Silk, and it is quite expensive. I don't think it would be within your... budget." She finished while inspecting his muggle clothing with hidden disdain, though Harry easily picked it up despite her guarded expression.

"Money will not be an issue." Harry said while holding up the Vault-to-credit pouch he had received from Gringotts.

Even with the pouch, Madam Malkin highly doubted the child in front of her could produce the large amount of galleons needed. Deciding to humor him, she quickly did the calculations.

"A robe made entirely of acromantula silk would be 150 galleons, including the charms and enchantments woven into the robe. 5 of those would be 750 galleons. The winter cloak is rather unique in the sense that it has two layers. The outer layer would be made of black yeti fur while the inner layer will be acromantula silk. One cloak alone will be 400 galleons, including charms and enchantments. The hat and gloves cost 25 and 50 galleons respectively, so the total will be 1225 galleons." She summed up, giving a conceited look to Harry.

"1225 galleons, yes?" Harry drawled as he reached into the pouch. He pulled out a much larger normal pouch from within, filled to the brim with 1225 galleons. "You can check if you want."

Madam Malkin received the bag with both eyes widened before opening it slightly. She gave a silent gasp, shocked at the amount of galleons within. "O-okay. You can come claim the items after half an hour. You can go shop for other supplies in the mean time." She recited with much practice.

"Can I have your name?" She asked, taking out a small note pad that already had quite a few names on them. Harry contemplated giving his real name, but did not want even more people to learn of his identity.

The only reason why he revealed his name to Draco and Nymphadora was because of the prospect of a possible alliance or friendship. "James. James Evans." The woman nodded before leaving as quickly as she had arrived.

Harry turned back to Draco when he heard him speak. "How could you- Ahh..." A look of realization emerged on his face "You're the sole heir of the Potter family. You must have inherited all that is contained within the vaults. The House of Potter is a most noble and ancient family that has accumulated much wealth."

Draco gave another shocked look "Wait, that means as the sole member of the House of Potter, you can be acknowledged as Lord Potter since the House of Potter is one of the founding houses of the Ministry of Magic, even... even preceding the Malfoys..." The last part he had mumbled, but Harry heard him.

Harry was curious about the Lord Potter Draco had spoke of, however. "Lord Potter, you say?"

Draco nodded "Don't you know? The founding families as well as the most noble pureblood Houses

are basically nobility. The heads of each Household are acknowledged legally as lords of their family and thus have a seat within the Wizengamot, the Ministry's high court. Houses such as Potter, Bones, Longbottom, Greengrass or my House, the Malfoys are all most noble Families."

"Seeing that you are the only remaining member of the House of Potter, you are techincally Lord Potter of the House of Potter. Wait, no. You have to reach the age of majority first, before becoming Lord of your House. Like me, as I'm the heir of the House of Malfoy."

Harry rubbed his chin slightly, a curious habit he developed whenever he was deep in thought. "I see, thank you for this information." Draco smiled "It's nothing. Most pureblood heirs are taught the basics of Wizarding politics, and the birth rights of Noble houses are part of it."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement and gratitude. He was about to leave when Draco called him back. "Wait, erm... would you like to join us in shopping for our supplies?"

The boy-who-lived tilted his head to a side, another habit he developed when he was slightly interested in something. "Us?" He said.

Draco nodded "Yeah. Me and a few friends are going to buy what we will be needing together. We're all purebloods and some of us are a sure-in to Slytherin. Our parents are all talking somewhere, so we have been given some freedom."

Harry almost openly grinned at such an opportunity. Being given such a chance was fortunate indeed. So far in his visit to this store has been very informative and he has surely gained friendship or at least an acquaintanceship with an heir to a most noble House.

Now, he was given the good fortune of acquiring the friendship of even more purebloods, hopefully of Noble descent.

Harry looked to be considering the benefits of such a venture, not wanting to reveal the eagerness he actually had. "Sure, I guess. It would be better to have some company, compared to doing all this alone."

Draco smiled "Great! Just give me a moment, I will finish up here quickly."

* * *

"We're meeting my friends at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Because I was late, they've already finished with their robes measurement and is now waiting for me to go buy out supplies together." Draco told Harry after they left Madam Malkins.

Harry merely nodded. He briefly considered the advantages of making friends with the people they will be meeting. He did say that some of them will be 'sure-in' to Slytherin, so it would be profitable to have associates in said House if he got into it. However, they could be unlike Draco, without a financial benefits he possessed.

Draco had not so inconspicuously showed off his family's wealth, ordering the same materials Harry had asked for, even paying an extra 25 galleons for a second hat. It was childish, but it had done its job perfectly : to show Harry his family was superior to his.

However, to Harry such a presentation only solidified his worth as an ally.

As they walked, Draco could not help but ask. "Back at the shop, why did you give another name to Malkin's." Harry glanced at Draco for a slight instance before turning back to the front.

"I have been told that I'm a... celebrity in the Wizarding world." Harry said.

"Of course! You defeated Y-You-know-who when you were an infant! You're famous for that!" Draco interjected.

Harry mentally smirked as he looked away. "That's exactly it. I want people to acknowledge me for who I am instead of what I am and what I did when I was only a year old. My fame serves only as a reminder that I lost my parents to the dark lord."

"Whenever I use my name, people get all starry-eyed. It is rather disturbing to me, actually. Too see people so eager, so athirst to please me. That is why I do not want to rely on my name or my fame. I don't want people to see me and say, look there's the boy-who-lived. Instead I want them to look at me and see me as myself, not an image created by the Wizarding public. You understand?"

Draco nodded slightly "Yeah, I do. More than you think, actually. My father is a very important man in the Ministry. I'm not just saying that either. That's why, since I was young, I've always been told to live up to his expectations. To follow in his footsteps."

"But do I really want to always be recognized as Lucius Malfoy's son and never as Draco Malfoy, an individual, not the shadow of his father? Of course not. That's why I say I understand what you think. I too do not want to be acknowledged merely as the shadow of my father, but as myself, my own person."

Harry gave a decisive nod while Draco smiled. "You know, I couldn't recognize you in the shop. I have always been told that you would look like your father, and even the books described you as having messy black hair. Though they nailed the green eyes. The color of green death, my father once mentioned."

The boy-who-lived agreed "Yeah, it's because people can't see the scar." He lifted up his fringe "Most people only recognize me for my scar."

Draco chuckled "That would be saying people recognized Malfoys by our blonde hair."

They arrived at the Ice Cream Parlour in short time. "Ah, there they are." Draco said as he spotted a group of three sitting around a table. They noticed Draco as well. "Oh, there's Malfoy." A boy remarked as they approached them.

A pretty girl with long black hair and cold blue eyes frowned "Took you long enough." She commented, narrowing her eyes at Draco. Another cute looking girl with shoulder length brown hair and similar brown eyes scoffed "He probably took another hour after the measurements just to gel up his hair."

Draco shot a look towards the brown-haired girl but didn't want to say anything rude. Not in front of Harry Potter anyways.

They noticed another boy who was behind Draco. "Who's he?" The seated boy asked out in a curt manner. He obviously did not welcome new additions, especially people he did not know.

Draco smiled, excited to introduce Harry Potter to his friends. "Well, when I was in Madam Malkin's I met him. He's-"

"Let me introduce myself, Draco." Harry preferred to introduce himself. It showed a more confident exterior, and when meeting new and possibly influential people, confidence is a must.

"I'm Harry James Potter." He said, giving a polite nod when all three reacted visibly to his proclamation. He gently grasped took the hand of the black-haired girl and softly brushed his lips against her knuckles, as was pureblood tradition Draco had told him on the way to the ice cream parlour.

Releasing her hand, he took the hand of the brown-haired girl and repeated his actions before giving a firm handshake with the boy. The two girls blushed, despite being taught that such things were only basic protocol within pureblood circles.

The boy stood up. He was dark skinned and long, slanting eyes. He was taller than Harry. In fact, he was the tallest in the group, Harry being the second. "I'm Blaise Zabini."

The two girls stood up as well "Daphne Greengrass." The black-haired girl spoke while the brown haired girl introduced herself "Tracey Davis."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. Shall we get going then?" Harry said, giving his most charming smile.

The three raised an eyebrow. "You're coming with us? That's so cool! Harry Potter is joining us!" Tracey Davis exclaimed. Blaise and Daphne both smiled as well, clearly excited too.

"Calm down, Davis. Harry doesn't want too many people to learn of his identity, so just keep it down, alright?" Draco explained before glancing at said boy.

Harry gave a comforting smile "It's fine as long as we keep it between us, alright?" Tracey Davis rapidly nodded, her face reddened as she looked away.

"So what will we be buying next? We all have already ordered out uniforms, how about our wands next?" Blaise suggested.

"That's fine." Draco shrugged, not minding anyway or another.

"Truthfully, I'm rather excited to be receiving a wand." Harry admitted, giving a shy smile, turning to look at Daphne.

The blue-eyed beauty caught his look before blushing further "Y-yeah. Me too." She stammered. _'What is wrong with me? Why would Harry Potter have such an effect on me? I mean, he's cute and all, and his eyes are just so...' _Daphne's cheeks reddened even more as Harry chuckled and turned to Tracey.

"Well, then let's get our wands next. Lead the way." Harry gestured towards them. Draco and Blaise, unaware of the girls' dilemma, started walking towards Ollivander's leaving Harry and the two girls walking behind them.

Daphne's cheeks were now only slightly tinted red, but she was still avoiding Harry's gaze. Tracey had a similar problem, unbelieving that the boy could cause such a reaction from herself.

"So, Harry. If you don't mind me asking, where have you been the last ten years? You haven't been in the Wizarding world right? Not in the public's eye at least. So where were you?" Blaise suddenly called out from in front.

Harry considered his answer. He couldn't tell them the truth, not now at least. If they found out he was living among muggles for the last 8 years, he might be ostracized. There was no guarantee he would, he might even gain sympathy. But sympathy was not what he needed.

"That's a little personal, don't you think, Blaise?" Tracey protested.

Daphne agreed, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Harry."

Harry nodded in understanding while Draco remained silent, although he was curious. "That is something private and I want it to remain private." Harry said, fixing his gaze on Blaise.

Blaise turned back and looked apologetic "Sorry, I was just curious. You disappeared after _that night_ and suddenly reappeared today." He wasn't sorry. Harry could tell. Zabini was well practiced at lying, but he was not good enough. His face, was stiff and his eyes wasn't looking straight at Harry's, but instead looking at a spot near his eyebrows. Common, for compulsive liars, who tend to look at an area near the person's eye in order to look sincere.

Nevertheless, Harry nodded "That's alright. I'm just not ready to reveal anything, right now." Blaise smiled before turning back. Good, reel him in with a slight hope. He would be sated, with the promise of future secrets.

The two guys stopped in front of a rather small shop with peeling gold letters over the door of the shop reading _Ollivanders : Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._

"We're here." Draco announced before he opened the door and entered. The store was empty, and seemed tiny from the thousand of narrow boxes piled right up to the ceiling.

"Where's the shop keeper?" Tracey wondered aloud before shrieking as a voice echoed behind them.

"Greetings."

They all turned back, finding an old man with a wild mane of white hair. "You're all here for your wands, yes? Hmm, let's see here. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, Ms. Greengrass, Ms. Davis and oh my, Mr. Potter."

Harry narrowed his eyes and stopped himself from saying anything. While the others had no such reservations. Amidst the harsh whispers Ollivander held up a hand. "Let's do this amicably, one by one. Now Mr. Malfoy, you first. I remember each and every wand I've ever sold, you see. And your father's... hmm, elm wood with dragon heartstring, 18 inches, supple."

Murmuring under his breath, he walked towards a stack of wands and carried an assortment of boxes. He handed a wand to Draco "Here, try this. 14 inches, oak with a unicorn hair." Just when Draco was about to give it a flick, it was snatched away "No, no this..." Ollivander muttered before handing another to him.

This repeated a few times before Ollivander presented another wand to him. "Maybe this... 10 inches, hawthorn wood and with the core of a rather stubborn unicorn stallion."

Draco immediately brightened up as he green sparks shot out of it when he swung it. Ollivander gave a slight smile."Ah, bravo. We have you a match. Reasonably springy and especially good at hexes and curses."

"Next, Mr. Zabini..."

The entire process took a little over an hour, an the four of them received their wands. Blaise acquired a 12 inch, cedar wand with a dragon heartstring. Daphne received a 16 inch, rose wood wand with a shard of a wood nymph's heart. While Tracey purchased a 14 inch, hazel wand with kneazle whisker.

"Finally, Mr Potter. Try this. 11 inches, Ivy wood with a fang from a Peruvian Vipertooth dragon." Ollivander suggested as he handed a pale wand with a smooth texture to Harry. However, he snatched it away without a word, only acknowledging it's incompatibility with a shake of his head.

"How about this, 15 inches, hazel wood with a sphinx feather." He handed another wand to Harry, but of course snatching it away before he could do anything with it.

This happened a few more times until Ollivander brightened up. "Hold on, let me get something from the back." At this point, both Harry and his newly acquainted friends were impatient and moody.

When he returned, Ollivander was holding two boxes, both had a layer of dust on them. He opened the first box, with a hopeful expression. "How about this, Mr Potter." He said, as he handed the want to Harry. 'How about you stick it up your ass...' Harry irritably thought.

"11 inches, holly wood with a phoenix feather." Harry held it and felt a small spark of a strange familiarity, as if something that was missing for years finally returned. But it seemed that was not the reaction Ollivander was looking for. He shook his head in disappointment.

He took it back, and gave handed another wand to Harry. This one was completely black, it's grip was a exquisite and detailed carving. "This one was made by my father. He could never find an owner for it, and left it with me along with all the other wands that has yet to find an owner. It is 13 inches with ebony wood and has a fang from a Yamata no Orochi. The Japanese eight headed snake, which were worshipped as deities long ago in ancient Japan."

The moment Harry had it in his hands, a burst of magical power swept through his body. Whereas the reaction between the holly wand and himself could be considered a small spark, this wand seemed to be a firework of magic. The indescribable feeling was pure magic. The burst of power discharged externally, pushing the four behind him away slightly while Ollivander who was standing right in front of him was thrown off his feet.

Harry gave an experimental flick and a wave of silver and green glowing sparks erupted from the tip of his wand. Seeing the results of the unleashing of his powers, he pulled the magic back from the wand to inside him. The reaction stopped, and the outburst of magical pressure disappeared.

The four stood behind him, mouth agape at the sheer power he unleashed. Ollivander pulled himself up shakily "That was the most powerful reaction I've ever witnessed. You... You shall do great things, Mr. Potter. Great things indeed. Such a wand, even I am not sure of it's affinity towards any branch of Magic since I was not the maker. I wish you luck, Mr. Potter, in all your future endeavors."

Harry nodded in polite acknowledgement. The five of them left the shop after paying for their wands. A standard 12-15 galleons, depending on the length of the wand.

"That was amazing, Harry! What did you do?" Draco exclaimed immediately after they left the store.

Harry shook his head "I do not know. All I felt was... magic racing within my veins and I knew I had to let it out."

"It's about time, let's go collect our clothing and head on to the apothecary to purchase our potion nessecities." Harry spoke up, pulling the others from their thoughts.

All of them agreed and made their way to Madam Malkin's, Harry consciously leading them back to the robe store.

Blaise Zabini contemplated the boy in front of him. From the reaction he had witnessed between Harry and his wand, he could definitely tell Harry Potter was powerful. Hell, Harry Potter was terrifying.

He had witnessed a sudden gale of magic tearing tearing up the store, tossing boxes of wands in to the air and scattering the pieces of paper on a table. All from one boy holding a wand. He shuddered to think what he could do once he reached magical majority, when his magic will fully mature.

Daphne Greengrass wasn't squealing in awe like Draco was, nor was she silently observing Harry Potter like Blaise. No, Daphne' heart was racing. Was it an inherent nature within all women or was it only her? To be attracted to power that is.

And Harry Potter was the most powerful eleven year old she has met. Not to mention those deep emerald orbs that seemed to penetrate the windows of her soul. That charismatic smile he showed whenever he looked at her and roguish good looks that was sure to mature and develop into a aristocratic elegance once he grew older. Daphne blushed once again as she glanced at Harry who was talking to Draco.

Tracey Davis was simply excited. She played with her hair as she shyly peered at Harry. The boyish charm that he seemed to possess was slowly stealing her heart.

Draco Malfoy, however, was internally calculating and devious despite his outward appearance currently. His father had to be informed, that Harry Potter was this powerful. He had initially approached a boy at Madam Malkin's out of boredom, that was true.

However, after learning of his identity, Draco made it his personal mission to familiarize himself with the enigma known as Harry Potter. Despite having chatted for a couple of hours now, he still couldn't figure out the person known as the boy-who-lived. Deviously charming one moment, and a strong willed independent individual another.

Although, despite knowing that alliances and friendly relations was a mere farce, as drilled into his head by his father and teachers for many years. He was inevitably drawn to the charismatic character that is Harry Potter.

Draco and the others had not realized it yet, but they were already undeniably fascinated and enchanted by the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter.

When they arrived, Blaise, Daphne and Tracey approached Madam Malkin first, asking for their orders. After collecting their purchases, all of them carried in a single paper bag that was charmed to be temporarily bottomless and featherweight for 24 hours, free of charge for purchases 500 galleons and up.

Harry and Draco then approached her for their purchases, receiving a single paper bag as well, containing their purchases. Before they left though, Harry made an effort to ask what charms and enchantments were woven into the robes and cloaks.

"Because they were made of acromantula silk, it was easier to weave the charms into the material, in between and underneath each individual strand. There are a few runes that can be seen from the inside which maintains the enchantments." Madam Malkin explained

She continued,"There are enchantments that prevents wear and tear and fire proof as well as water proof. Whereas the charms are cleaning charms, warming charms and cooling charms. Instant ironing/pressing charm and non-fluttering charms to prevent it from fluctuating during strong winds."

Harry nodded in understanding before thanking her and left.

The group now gathered in front of the robe shop, turned to the direction of the Apothecary, and made their way there. Draco leading the way, as he had been there a few times, being brought by his father.

The group of five quickly purchased what they needed: A cauldron, a set of crystal phials and 1 brass scale. Though Draco did dissuade Harry from buying the pewter cauldron and buying the copper cauldron instead.

He claimed the pewter cauldron was easier to melt and the copper cauldron could brew more efficiently as it could maintain the temperature better than a pewter girls surprisingly showed no reaction to the squeamish body parts that were stored in jars and displayed.

Draco also advised him to buy some potion ingredients as well, in order to practice at home. Harry wasn't sure where he would be able to brew potions at ease in the Orphanage, but agreed nonetheless.

"The first few years of potions generally follow the same techniques. Dicing, squishing, mixing, stirring, etc. Once you a get more accustomed to brewing after some practice, it will be easier for you at Hogwarts. Do you have a piece of paper? I will write down the potions that are relatively easy to brew." Draco offered.

Harry shook his head "It's okay, just say it out, I will remember it." He actually would. With a near eidetic memory, he only needed to read an entire book twice to be able to recite each and every sentence without hesitation. Draco gave a doubtful look, but complied anyways.

"The most elementary potion you can attempt would be cure for boils. After that, an antidote to common poisons would be challenging enough. A forgetfulness potion is also rather simple to prepare, but if you really want to test yourself, try making a sleeping draught. You can look up the recipe in _Magical Drafts and Potions_, our first year potions course book."

The purchases cost a total of 58 galleons for Blaise, Daphne and Tracey who did not buy anything else other than the required equipment. Harry and Draco had to both pay 133 galleons for everything they had. Harry and the rest then placed all they had purchased into the paper bag they had received from Madam Malkins. The opening stretching itself in order to swallow the large cauldrons.

"Next, my favorite stop, the book store!" Harry excitedly exclaimed although the rest could not imitate his enthusiasm.

Harry had spotted Flourish and Blotts Bookseller when they were on their way to the Apothecary, so this time he led the group there. They stopped in front of a large store with an a large red sign with white letters of the shop's name.

When they entered, Harry was rather overwhelmed by the sheer amount of books and tomes inside. Every book shelves were filled to the brim books of different thickness. There was even a second floor in which rarer and more expensive tomes could be found.

Harry's eyes immediately darted all over, picking up the assorted titles. He noticed that the shelves had labels, indicating which subject the texts were under, such as Transfiguration, Charms or Potions.

They did not have to look far to find the required course books as they were neatly displayed near the front of the store, stacked up tidily for students to easily find. After picking up what they needed, the group wandered around the store, looking at books they were interested in.

Harry went to the Defence Against the Dark Arts section first. He examined each title, as well as the year it was published in. Newer books might contain newer and more information, however, older books contained a lot more theories and could possibly contain spells or content that the newer books lacked.

At the end of the books shopping spree, which lasted around an hour and a half. Daphne had picked up a couple of Potion texts and a single Charms spell book that were not in their required course books.

Tracey had bought a single Transfiguration guide book while Blaise bought two books, the same Charms guide book Daphne had purchased, titled _Facilis deliciae nam stupidis, Easy Charms for the stupid. _And another Herbology textbook titled _Clama de Mandragora, Cry of the Mandrake._

Draco did not purchase anything else, claiming that the books in the Malfoy family library far surpassed the 'peasant' books Flourish and Blotts were selling. This caused the shop owned to glare at him for a moment.

Harry, however, picked up the most books amongst them all combined. Not only did he purchase the first year Defence course book, _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), _he bought next four grades of spell books as well. After browsing through the thick tome, he found the instructions and explanations within to be thorough and detailed, compared to other spell books.

He also bought _1001 Charms for everything, Jinxes Hexes and Curses, Rare & Obscure curses your opponent won't know, Introduction to Dueling & battle spells, Advanced Guide to Dueling & battle spells._ The last two were both written by a retired auror, Alastor Moody, who was considered to be the most powerful auror of all time, according to the book.

There was supposed to be a third book as well, titled _Mad-eye's Mastery of Dueling & Battle Spells_ but was decidedly not published because it was too detailed and contained too much Ministry forbidden content.

Harry puchased non-spell related texts as well : _Elementary Potions & detailed guide on their ingredients, The Hard-to-find & Dangerous magical plants, History of the Magic since 1600s Vol. 1, Introduction to Pure Blood Culture & Traditions, The Wizengamot & You. _The first book was the last copy in the store, and rightfully so. The book had detailed explanations and description of most of the ingredients used today for Potion Brewing.

The total Harry's new collection amounted to 24 galleons and 6 sickles. A worthwhile investment, in Harry's opinion. There wasn't much he could do during the one month until the start of Hogwarts, and it wouldn't take him long until he finished reading all the books. He couldn't practice any magic, though, it seemed. That sucked.

Harry placed the books inside the bottomless paper bag from Madam Malkins. And the group left Flourish and Blott's.

Standing outside the bookstore, Harry turned to face the four. "Well, this has been very enjoyable. Thank you four for brightening this otherwise dull shopping trip." He said, giving all of them a smile. The gesture was reciprocated as all of them returned a brighter smile of their own.

"Your company has elevated our atmosphere as well, Harry." Draco said, giving him a one armed hug. A manly one. A heterosexual hug. Go away gay pairing fans.

Harry returned the gesture with Zabini before turning to the two girls. "It has been a pleasure to meet you all, especially you two. Daphne, Tracey." He bowed before taking their hands and brushing his lips against their knuckles. "Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow." Harry quoted from Shakespeare.

The two girls blushed heavily, even after Harry turned to leave. "See you on the train!" Tracey yelled out, as the four waved goodbye. Harry chuckled before acknowledging it with a curt nod and a nonchalant wave of his own.

Harry couldn't leave yet, of course. Not without the trunk he had ordered as well as the list of properties and total value of his vaults from Gringotts. They didn't need to know about that, not now at least.

He went to Baldwin's first, to pick up the trunk he had ordered. Swiftly maneuvering through the gathering crowd of people who were slowly starting to grow, he reached Baldwin's Magical Trunks and Bags in quick time. Ignoring the shopkeeper outside, he entered the shop directly.

He found the very man he was looking for sitting at a desk filling out some forms. "Ahem." He coughed, getting the attention from Baldwin. The shop owner looked up in surprise before smiling with practiced ease "Welcome back, sir. Your trunk has been completed and is ready for collection."

Baldwin gestured to the trunk that was sitting by him. The cover was a dark midnight blue with silver linings and corners. There were no locks, only fastenings that kept it closed. Pointing to the fastenings, "Please place the index finger and thumb on both fastenings with both hands." He instructed. Slightly cautious, Harry did so.

A slight bluish hue emitted from the fastenings before disappearing. "The wards has now recognized you as the owner, and the fastenings can now only be opened with your fingers. Not only that, it has also recorded your magical signature and blood sample. So in order for anyone to open the trunk, he must have all three or the attempted security breach will cause the trunk to be recalled to you."

Harry nodded in appreciation "Very nice, Baldwin. I'm surprised at the size though. It looks like a small office briefcase." Opening it up, Harry found it to contain several pockets and compartments.

"Each are bottomless and featherweighted." Baldwin added as Harry inspected the briefcase. The boy stored the paper bag containing all of his purchases today into one of the compartments. "The briefcase can also be shrunk with a tap from your wand."

Baldwin added again. "Though I think it would be more convenient to carry it as it is, since it has a featherweight charm on it, it weighs practically nothing."

"Good job. You have surpassed my expectations. I shall return if I have another custom request." Harry finished and left the store, his newly acquired briefcase in hand. "Come back again!" Baldwin yelled out from inside, happy with the 1300 galleons he had earned from a single order.

Harry was now headed towards Gringotts, the final destination of this trip. Almost flying up the stairs, Harry was barely able to contain his excitement at finding out the total amount of his assets. He must have been left with quite a fortune, from what Draco had told him.

Approaching the Head Goblin Harry bowed and greeted before speaking, "Is the list ready, Head Goblin Torok." The goblin had an eager smile on his crooked face, a strange sight to say the least. Whatever was in the list, Torok was happy to see it.

The Head Goblin snapped a finger and a piece of parchment levitated to him. _'Goblin magic, huh? Intriguing...'_ Harry thought as the parchment was slid towards him. As Harry laid eyes upon his fortunes, he could hardly believe his eyes.

He was wrong. He was not left with _quite a fortune._ He was left with a Massive fortune.

**James & Lily Potter Vault**

**Total currency amount:**

**32,835,715 galleons, 644,890 sickles, 45,338 knuts. **

**Compiled estates and liquified value : **

**Potter Manor – 8,250,000 galleons **

**House at Godric's Hollow & 4 acres of land – 1,480,000 galleons**

**Spain Summer Villa – 2,612,000 galleons**

**Greece Villa – 1,520,000 galleons **

**Total estate liquified value : 16,724,000 galleons **

**Estimated items value (Jewels, artifacts, antiques) : 13,512,473 galleons**

**Total Vault Worth : 63,072,188 galleons 644,890 sickles 45,338 knuts**

"This... This is..." Harry stuttered, unbelieving that all the money was goblin gave a sly smirk "Yes, this is everything your parents left you." Harry gave a shocked look at the Goblin, unable to hide his astonishment behind a facade.

"You're currently within the top 2 percentile of the Wizarding World's richest men." The goblin added.

Harry gulped down the lead ball of astonishment in his throat.

"However! This is not all." Torak interjected. "There's more!?" Harry yelled out, unable to control his emotions after hearing such news.

"After close inspection, we found out that this vault," Torak said, tapping the piece of parchment "belongs to James & Lily Potter. But, it is not the vault of the House of Potter."

Harry revealed his bewilderment "Wait... that means that what I have already inherited here is merely what my parents left me, but not the inheritance I received from the House of Potter! But why..."

Torak was able to answer that. "Decades ago, your Grandfather, Charles Potter approached me and asked for his will to be made. Within his will, he stated that the requirements he had given must be met before the heir of Potter will be officially recognized as Lord Potter, and inherit the entire fortunes of the most noble and ancient House of Potter."

Snapping his finger again, another piece of parchment floated to him. Handing it to Harry, whose eyes quickly scanned through the conditions.

* * *

**The conditions listed below must all be met before the Heir can achieve Lordship.  
**

**1. The Heir must be at least 16 or above, the age of majority.**

**2. The Heir must receive a minimum of eight OWLs and four NEWTs.**

**3. Receive no less than three titled Lord's or Lady's acknowledgment as Lord Potter.**

**4. Maintain the good and noble name of Potter.**

**5. Exhibit the ability to build and maintain alliances. Renew five old family coalitions and create two new ones.**

**6. Demonstrate the ability to lead and display an aristocrat's charisma. Receive at least two sworn fealties of loyalty from two unallied vassals.**

**7. Swear loyalty to no one but yourself.**

**8. Fulfill at least one or more marriage betrothal contracts.**

**9. The Heir must have a career contributing to society and/or attain one or more masteries in any branch of magic.**

**10. All Lords of the House of Potter practice Polygamy. The Heir must have at least two wives before the age of 20.**

**I wish a promising heir will succeed in these conditions and bring further glory to the House of Potter.**

**Once the heir has accomplished these tasks, and has been acknowledged as Lord Potter in throughout the Wizarding world, these conditions will be set forth. If these conditions are met, Lordship of House Potter shall be magically surrendered. **

**1. An heir is not produced within five years of Lordship.**

**2. Extravagant and wasteful use of the family vault. (Total vault value drops below 10%)**

**3. Bringing dishonor and/or disgrace to the most noble and ancient house of Potter (Publicly defamed and/or outright infamy)**

**4. Inability to use magic and/or lacking conscious thought.**

**Signed, Charlus Ignatius Potter. 25th Lord Potter, 28th Earl of Gryffindor, 34th Baron of Meadis  
**

Harry contemplated the conditions "Doesn't seem that difficult." Torak nodded in agreement.

"What is the total vault value of the House of Potter?" Harry asked. Torak smiled "I have that number encarved right into my memories. The House of Potter has been a very profitable client to have, and all founding families' vaults and estates go through me. If I recall correctly, the total vault value of the House of Potter while exceeds a billion the last time I checked. 1.38 billion, if I recall correctly, including all liquifed estates and company shares."

Harry nodded numbly. A billion galleons... that was five billion pounds sterling. By gods, he was a billionaire, as long as he fulfilled the conditions. It seemed simple, though it was rather frustrating he could only receive the Lordship only when he reached 17 years old.

* * *

Author's Notes : There! You have it. It took me ten hours to finish this, over a span of two days. Not including the occasional breaks I took, okay frequent breaks, to finish reading this book, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and to play League of Legends.

**The conditions for Lordship I kinda borrowed from this story called _Harry Prongs Tatum _written by _Silverfawkes. _Awesome story, awesome author. Oh and yeah, sorry if I disappointed anyone because I gave Harry so much money. I know one guy didn't want me to give so much money to Harry but if you look at the conditions, he has to be at least 17 to receive Lordship because of the four NEWTs requirement. **

**Besides, in my story, the founding families all have around the same amount. Malfoy is not one of the founding families, but a most noble House. Anymore questions, please review the story and I will try my best to answer in the next chapter.**

**Sorry if the latter part seemed a bit stale or hasty. I was in a haste to finish this and I practically crammed the last quarter of the story to write within two hours. I had no choice, cause I'm starting school the next day, and I won't have time to finish it then. Love it, Hate it, Review it. Like I said, this is my first Harry Potter story, and if you find any inconstancies in the story please tell me, I would really appreciate any help from you guys. **

_Seriously, Review. Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter)_


	3. Huginn & Muninn

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry nor anything else I may have used.

Author's notes : So if you guys read my author's notes in the last chapter, you would know that my exams just ended. So right now, I don't really have anything going on for a good two months until my finals start. I can't just study the whole way through and from how well I think I did on my preliminary exams, I can forgo revision for another week or two.

**Alright, before the story starts, I'm going to deal with some stuff.**

**I really appreciated the reviews you all gave. Many of them were so long too, two or three paragraphs long. Really, that was awesome. I really appreciate the time and effort you all put in to writing the reviews to give me advice. Seriously, I can't thank you enough. You guys gave me so much advice and that really meant so much to me, Thank You! I have noted a mistake Many of you have pointed out and that is the fact that I have the habit of having two characters speaking in a single paragraph. I realize how that could be a problem, and might be confusing and troublesome to read. I will try my best to rectify my habit from now on. **

**Next, will Harry be moving in to his properties. That will depend on my mood when I'm writing that particular portion, which I don't think will be coming until another two or three chapters. I will be focusing on the machinations behind the scenes during Hogwarts. Where Harry will be building the foundation of his inner circle. But back to the question. I can have Harry go back to the orphanage. It would be rather boring but simpler for the readers and myself to write. **

**Will there be any pairings? Definitely. Though I won't be including much romance into the story. C'mon people, this story is being written by a 16 year old male teen (Me!). Don't expect too many hugs and mushy fluff. However, I have a general idea for Harry's dating scene. I intend to make him a playboy of sorts. Where he will be dating and of course shagging many girls. But that won't happen until at least 5th or 6th year. Any less and it will just be weird. **

**Will he be friends with Ron and the other Gryffindors. Okay, this is a rather tough decision for me. I want to let Harry be respected by all the students, eventually. It's not going to happen instantaneously of course. It will be a gradual process. Harry will start by... well I'm not going to spoil you. So this is how I imagine it will be like during the Goblet of Fire arc. When Harry the fourth champion is called out, the entire school will be cheering for him. By then, he will be the most respected and acknowledged student. Again, it will be a gradual process. Each year, Harry will be developing his reputation and fame. So that during the GoF arc, it will seem believable. **

**Why does Harry hate muggles so much even though he wasn't mistreated by them? Tom riddle was not mistreated very badly by muggles either, and look how he turned out. The whole point of Harry's character is that he is so frighteningly similar to Tom that he has the potential to follow down his path. With an unhealthy interest in the dark arts and ritualistic magic (thank you Joe Lawyer), Harry will grow up to be similar to Voldemort, but unlike him, he will not be taking on the world alone. But taking on the world with loyal servants behind him. **

**Why does Harry have such an extensive vocabulary? Really? He does? I was speaking like that when I was ten too. It's not really anything out of the world. I could hold back on the large, superfluous and bombastic words he could use, but that would just limit my writing capability. **

**Do I have something in mind for all the money he has? Yes. Am I going to tell you right now and spoil you? Nope. **

**The pace of the story is too slow? That's how I want it to be. I don't like stories where the author just rushes through an entire Hogwarts year within one or two chapters, yet emphasizes on Harry's summer for an entire chapter. His life at Hogwarts is the main attraction! And I'm not going to just write about some shallow and materialistic story that barely scratches the surface of Harry's Hogwarts years. No! I want my story to be complex, with underhand deals and political machinations. **

**Alright, that's about it for now. Again, if you have any questions feel free to ask by reviewing or messaging me. I will try my best to answer them in the next chapter or replying directly. Sorry for the long Author's notes. Thank you and please, enjoy!**

* * *

Harry stood within Gringotts with a slight smirk on his face. Not only did he find out that he had inherited his parent's vault, which contained over 32 million galleons and had a liquified value of 63 million galleons; He also discovered that he had received an opportunity to ascend into Lordship after fulfillment of the conditions set by his grandfather.

His father didn't become Lord Potter as well. He should have received the four NEWTs required but perhaps the polygamy condition didn't sit too well with his mother.

Mother... what a strange and alien term. Considering he didn't even know his parents until yesterday, he was not used to the familiar terms. Harry briefly wondered if his parents would approve of his current maneuvers, attempting an alliance with the Malfoy, Greengrass, Davis and Zabini houses.

Harry internally grinned. He was close to accomplishing one of the conditions already, if he could finalize the alliance and create new family ties. He needed to find out which families had an old family alliance with the House of Potter and renew them in order to fulfill said condition.

"Mr. Potter," Harry turned to Torak who raised a crooked finger and beckoned him to follow. "Come with me, I will be personally handling the most noble and ancient House of Potter's affairs."

Harry raised an eyebrow "Rather presumptuous, Head goblin Torak. Considering I have not even mentioned such a thing yet."

The goblin gave a rather forced smile "No, of course not, Mr. Potter. However, like I brought up earlier, all matters regarding the founding families' vaults and estates are officially dealt by the Head Goblin. You could request for a replacement, but I sincerely advise not to. The replacement would not have any experience in managing the assets of a founding house. I beseech you to place your faith in me."

Harry frowned mentally. That was merely the polite way of saying 'You can't get rid of me. Even if you did, you wouldn't have any one as capable as me to manage your assets.' "I understand. I will trust you. For now."

The goblin bowed "That is all I will ask from you, Mr. Potter, your confidence in my abilities."

Harry gave a brusque nod "Lead the way, Head Goblin Torak."

The goblin nodded and turned back to continue walking. "We'll be heading to my office. We can get more privacy there than anywhere else in the entire bank." Harry gave a soft hum at that.

Other goblins were stealing glances at them. The ones who knew that the Head Goblin dealt with the founding families' assets personally realized that the boy who was following him must have been from said families. They grinned at the prospect of more gold placed in their pockets.

When they reached Torak's office, Harry was greeted by a rich mahogany door, with a bronze plaque that read _Head Goblin Torak, Restricted Area. _The door swung inwards automatically as Torak approached it and closed itself when they were in the office.

Within, was a splendor of gold and silver. The office was a large room, its walls decorated with weaponry of all sorts. A jewel encrusted work table was placed at the back of the room along with a large chair of pure gold and red velvet cushions. On the opposite side of the throne-like chair was a smaller wooden chair, with equally soft velvet cushions.

After Harry and Torak took their respective seats, the goblin snapped a finger and a cabinet opened. A file flew out from within and floated to the waiting hands of Torak. The goblin fished out a piece of paper and slid it over to Harry.

"This is the list of old family ties the House of Potter has created that has been officially recorded by Gringotts. After your grandfather died, the ties created by the deceased Lord are rendered inactive and thus any commitments from allied Houses holds no responsibility. However, because your father was not able to meet the requirements of achieving lordship, the current number of alliances the most noble and ancient House of Potter is holding is zero." Torak said.

Harry quickly scanned through the paper. There were many legal rubbish that was compulsory to add, however Harry skipped over the parts he did not need and jumped straight to the names.

Founding House of Longbottom (ceased in 1979)

Founding House of Bones (ceased in 1979)

Founding House of Black (ceased in 1725)

Founding House of Greengrass (ceased in 1864)

Founding House of Ravenclaw (ceased in 1921)

Fouding House of Hufflepuff (ceased in 1979)

Noble House of Abbott (ceased in 1979)

Noble House of Lovegood (ceased in 1979)

Noble House of MacDougal (ceased in 1979)

The list went on and on, and had perhaps more than a hundred names of Houses. Many of them ceased in 1979, presumably the year his grandfather had passed away. Harry couldn't help but notice that many, around two fifths of the family ties ceased in 1979. Which meant that his grandfather, Charlus Potter, was a very influential man before his demise.

The Noble House of Malfoy was never mentioned in the list, nor was the house of Davis and Zabini. Harry smirked. If he could receive a formal tie of alliance from them, then half of a condition would be fulfilled already.

Aside from that, based on the number of founding and noble families his family was previously allied to, the House of Potter must have been a very influential superpower before the near annihilation of the Potters. If he could renew all of them, hell, even half of them, the House of Potter would be a force to be reckoned with. _He_ would be a force to be reckoned with.

Founding Houses had a vast amount of wealth and influence he could certainly use. Wealthy Noble families are assets most valuable as well. Though they might not possess the financial gauntlet founding families held, their wealth was still significantly large.

Another piece of paper was slid towards him from Torak. "This is the list of betrothal contracts that has been signed by either your grandfather or one of your ancestors."

Harry had a slight panic attack. He didn't really consider it a possibility, but to have so many marriage contracts was insane. Harry was eleven years old, he shouldn't be considering or choosing marriage partners. Not now!

No...wait, calm down. A marriage between two Houses is one of the best ways to secure an alliance. Depending on the chosen partners, he could amass a great deal of authoritative power.

Harry scanned the paper, recognizing none of the names until he spotted the Greengrass name. Success! A betrothal contract with one of the founding families, not to mention their pretty heiress Daphne. This was a colossal discovery. An engagement with a member from one of the founding families would ensure him their aid and loyalty to a certain extent.

* * *

Harry exited Gringotts hastily. It was already the late afternoons and sunlight was quickly burning. Before he left he wanted to purchase one more item. When he looked at the parchment with the necessary equipment written on it again, he noticed a line saying that a student may bring an own or a toad or a cat.

Now, he wasn't really that interested in a cat or a toad. He was looking more towards an owl, or at least another avian variety. He had spotted a pet store of some sort when he was shopping previously.

Harry turned a corner and saw what he was looking for, a rather small shop with the sign _Magical Menagerie._ The last time he'd passed by the place, it was rather crowded by other first year students. It was almost empty by the time Harry arrived.

The small shop was very cramped and noisy, with every inch of wall covered by cages. There were all sorts of animals, either in cages or transparent cases. Cats hissed silently in their little corner of the shop while the combined croaking of the numerous toads and frogs echoed throughout the store.

Not interested in felines nor amphibians, Harry maneuvered his way through the packed little shop, gracefully avoiding the many empty cages. His feet carefully stepped on the few empty spaces that led to the avian section. There were no owls here, unfortunately. However, the shop was still crowded with birds of all sorts.

The parrots and crows squawked noisily as Harry approached, and even the ravens flew around messily in their cages. Harry scrunched his nose in distaste. He had no interest in loud, disheveled birds that looked like they would fly away the moment they had a chance.

Harry quickly browsed over the selection, without any expectations until he noticed them. Two ravens. Their feathers black as night and beady eyes the color of crimson blood. They were quiet, absolutely silent in fact. They stood still, their necks tilting slightly every once in awhile. They were of the same size as the other ravens, but something about them exuded a magical aura.

"**Human ... hvíslar visku og dauða. Við erum spámenn dauða. Slepptu okkur og vera verðlaunaður með hollustu okkar. Ganga í burtu og vera að eilífu hafnað." **The ravens' gaze intensified. Though they were not physically speaking, Harry knew they were somehow communicating with him and he could somehow understand them as well. **(1)**

Harry reached forward, and unlocked the cage. The shopkeeper who was preoccupied with someone else at the time saw what Harry was doing and yelled at him to stop. But he was too late as Harry had already lifted the lock and opened the cage door.

However, to the shopkeeper's surprise, not only did the ravens not fly away immediately, they calmly stretched their wings before walking to the cage's door and landed calmly on Harry's outstretched forearm.

Harry turned to the shopkeeper "How much?"

The shopkeeper, still stunned at the raven's passive behavior dumbly replied "How much what"

Narrowing his eyes, Harry snapped "For them!"

That was when the shopkeeper realized he had a profitable sale that could be made. He took on a thinking pose, "How about a 100 galleons. Each."

"I beg to differ." Harry interjected, looking at the crudely written sign that said "3 Galleons" above the cage the ravens were in.

Following his gaze, the shopkeeper frowned "Well, the economy is bad. Prices go up. 100 galleons or I ain't selling nothin'."

Harry had to prevent himself from practicing his wandless magic on the shopkeeper. He was about to retort and perhaps threaten to get his way, when the ravens' eyes glowed red.

This time, Harry was sure the ravens were somehow communicating with the shopkeeper. He could feel... some sort of a _distortion_ in the air.

The shopkeeper's eyes glazed over and dilated, signaling the lost of conscious comprehension of his actions or speech. "Alriiightt. 3 gaalleeons for e-each." The shopkeeper slurred

Harry widened his eyes and glanced at the ravens on his fore arm, whose eyes were still glowing and staring straight at the shop keeper.

Reaching into his pouch he smoothly retrieved 6 galleons and placed them in the shopkeeper's extended hand before he quickly left.

When he exited the pet shop, one of the ravens swiftly flew up slightly before landing on his shoulder before the other flew towards the other shoulder. So now he had two ravens perched upon both his shoulders.

Harry recalled a book he had read two years back, about Norse mythology. He pondered for a moment before glancing at both the ravens. "Huginn and Muninn. That shall be your names." They were almost identical visually, curved beak, wicked talons. However, there were a few discerning feature that separated them.

The one known as Huginn had sharper feather tips, it was slightly longer from head to tail and it had a sharper beak. The raven now identified as Muninn had a longer wingspan, longer and sharper talons, and also had a slight purple sheen to its sleek black feathers.

The two ravens opened their beaks slightly and a thin black trail of wisp and smoke drifted into Harry's ears. **"Approved... Master."**

* * *

The Knight Bus stopped infront of St. Margaret's Orphanage instantaneously from maximum acceleration. As Harry stepped out, Huginn and Muninn still perched on his shoulders, he briefly wondered about the non-existent inertia. Even more so when the triple decker bus accelerated in an instant to maximum speed and sped off.

Harry turned to face the metallic fence of the orphanage and its open gates. His home for the last 8 years. He did not have many exciting memories of the place. The only thing worth mentioning was when he magically pushed the boy... what was his name? John or something? No, Joshua. When he pushed Joshua through the window and killed him.

Of course he did not intend to murder the boy. It was only the second storey and Harry had only wanted to injure Joshua or at most cripple him. Unfortunately, the boy had fallen out of the window at an oblique angle, landing on his neck and broke it, causing instant death.

Did he want to murder Joshua? No, and it was honestly an accident. Was he glad that the boy was now dead? It didn't really matter anyway or another to him. Did he regret the decision to throw him out of the window? No.

When Harry knocked on the door, a 6 or 7 year old boy opened it for him. "Harry! You're back!" The child joyfully exclaimed before throwing himself onto Harry's leg.

Three days ago, Harry's first reaction to such an act would be to kick him off. But after everything he did yesterday, he did not want to waste the effort he had put in. It had taken him an entire day, but he managed to gain the trust and 'friendship' of around half of the children here. Most of them were the young ones, whose innocence and naivety made them easy to fool.

The ones who were a year or two younger than him as well as the ones older than him were still wary. They had not forgotten what Harry had done to Joshua back then. But they would abandon their futile attempts at resisting his offer of friendship soon enough.

It was easy. Offering the younger ones candy and volunteering to play with them earned Harry their trust and 'right' to play with them.

Of course, Harry had no reason to deal with their immaturity and chaotic childishness. It was merely practice before he went to Hogwarts. Granted, the Hogwarts students was older, and more mature than these preadolescent boys and girls. However, it would only take that slightest bit more effort to charm even them.

"Alright Mike. C'mon get up, ya little ball of fur." Harry playfully added while roughing up the boy's hair.

The boy giggled before releasing Harry's leg. "You said you would play with us yesterday! Harry promised!" Mike pointed an accusing finger at Harry, grinning brightly.

Harry chuckled "Alright, fine. Let me go put my things and we can play alright?" _'Fuck off... this is why I hate kids.'_ He mentally thought.

Mike brightened up considerably before shouting "Yay! Hey guys, Harry's gonna play w' us." The other children who were lounging around the corridor cheered.

Harry decided to quickly proceed into his room before they start to swarm him. Giving a sigh of frustration, he tossed the briefcase on to the bed and prompted Huginn and Muninn to get off him by shrugging his shoulders. The ravens did so and landed on his desk without making a single sound.

Even after the two minute bus ride home, Harry had still not figured out what the ravens were exactly. They had sat perfectly still and unmoving on his shoulders, throughout the journey home. Nobody seemed to notice them, not even the children when Harry first entered the Orphanage.

The birds noticed him staring at them. **"Yes, master?" **

Slightly taken aback, Harry calmed himself and considered his next question. "W-What are you?"

The two ravens glanced at each other before turning back to Harry **"We are ravens." **One of them replied, albeit with a slight condescension.

Narrowing his eyes, Harry glared at them slightly "I can see that."

Huginn chuckled, or what seemed like chuckling to Harry. **"Of course you can. I am not questioning your powers of observation. I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a raven what it is." **

Harry shook his head "No, you're not _just _ravens. You're something more. A sentient life form that has taken the form of a raven, not by choice but by chance. So let me ask you again, what are you?"

Muninn took a step forward **"Astute observation, master. Praise worthy I might add. However, we did not take the **_**form **_**of a raven, we are ravens. However, we are merely more unique than the average bird." **

"**But on this most auspicious nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet to suggest the identity of this avian persona." **Huginn took a step forward, standing beside Muninn.

"**In view, omens of death and an unfortunate paradigm. Cast vicariously by the vicissitudes of fate. Would you believe then, thus is our destiny to follow the wind to wherever it takes us." **

"I'm not getting an answer from you, am I?"

"**Not yet, master, not yet. But until then, know that we belong to you. We are Huginn and Muninn... For now."**

* * *

It had taken a couple of hours, but Harry had placated the almost hostile playfulness of the children. At the end of the session, he had swayed over a quarter of the other half who had rejected his offer for friendship yesterday. Numerous times, Harry questioned himself if the results were that important as he tried very hard not to send another impudent child out the window.

Finally, he had finished before excusing himself to his room. Harry opened the briefcase, and looked over the books he had purchased. He did not mind going through the numerous spell books nor did he object to reading his first year's course books. But he felt it prudent, to familiarize himself with the ambiguous politics of the wizarding world.

He already had a firm grasp of human- well, muggle, politics. If Harry had not been discovered by Hogwarts, he would have gone on to politics and become an entrepreneur. He knew that to succeed in an enterprise, one needed to have a working understanding of everything that had the possibility of earning large amounts of revenue. And the political podium was an interesting challenge he would have tackled if not for magic.

Harry fished out the copy of _Pure Blood Culture & Traditions _as well as _Wizengamot & You._ He started to read the former with a renewed focus. He had forgotten how long it had been since he was interested in something. It was delightful to have that fire in him relit, to have a clear objective to work towards.

Within the book, was a list of families and a brief explanation on their history and background. The Malfoys, he found out, was a supposedly _dark_ House. Every Lord Malfoy that has ever been was a clear advocate of the dark. Every one had dabbled in dark magic, and curious enough, every one had been a highly acknowledged ministry official. Except, of course, the rare few whose competence was questionable. Whereas the Longbottoms, one of the founding families, was an inherently _light_ house. Almost all Lord Longbottoms were light wizards.

It had taken Harry awhile to find out what dark and light really meant, but within the books there were brief descriptions.

Dark wizards are primarily termed 'dark' due to their practice of the Dark arts. Known dark magic includes the use of the three Unforgivable curses, using dark magic, creating and brewing dark potions, using dark objects, as well as habitual usage of forbidden magic such as necromancy or conjuration of dark creatures.

On the other hand, _light _wizards are the opposite of Dark wizards. Not practicing the dark arts and consorting with dark beings are prerequisites of being light. The term practically includes any wizard who has never used a dark spell, so it can be rather vague at times. Even if a supposed light wizard kills an individual with non-dark spells, he could still be addressed as a light wizard. As long as the dark arts is not applied for said murder, then the murderer is not a dark wizard. Of course, murder charges would still apply and execution via dementor's kiss would be imminent.

It was baffling to Harry that such a disparity existed merely on the basis whether one practiced the dark arts or not. According to the book, which seemed neutral towards the entire dark/light conundrum, there were many spells and rituals that leaned more towards healing and recovery.

Yet, due to the Ministry's biases towards these practices, which mostly required _uniquely_ _human_ ingredients to be concluded, they were banned and outlaw. Thus, some of these dark arts have been lost in time, forever forsaken due to its morbid requirements.

Whereas light magic, though some contained the potential for lethality that surpassed some dark practices, were still termed _Light_. The only difference that lied between dark and light arts were the fundamental constituents which made it.

Dark spells, for example, required a malicious intent in order to call upon its magics. Not only is it necessary to have a clear objective in the mind, one needed to imagine the successful effects of the spell on to said target in order to perform the dark spell to its fullest potential.

Light spells, on the other hand, required no such focus. Most light spells had merely the two requirements : the ability to discharge said spell as well as the intent to make its effects successful.

It was very intriguing for Harry to read about such things. He was very fortunate to have received a book with a completely neutral standpoint as well. He had no doubt should he had chosen a book that was bias towards either the dark or light arts, he would have been severely uninformed.

He returned to the noble houses section and learned about the multiple Houses' sigils as well as their words, which were their mottos. For example, the sigil of the House of Malfoy is a green and black shield with a silver M and a dragon on both sides. Their words are : _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper _meaning Purity Always Conquers in latin.

The sigil of the House of Black was a shield with a skull adorning the top, a raised hand wielding a wand in the middle, and three crows at the bottom. Their words are : _Toujours Pur _meaning Always Pure in French.

He noticed the House of Potter's sigil : A golden Griffin with a lion on both sides on a shield of red and black. His House had two lines of words as well. That was because the patriarchal and matriarchal sides had two different mottos.

The first by the matriarchal side was : _Familia, Officio, Fidei_ meaning Family, Duty, Honor in latin. While the second by the patriarchal side was much more aggressive : Ignis Et Sanguinem, Nostra Est Furor meaning Fire And Blood, Ours Is The Fury.

The most noble and ancient House of Potter had always been a light house, the book stated. Although, several times during the lordship of the rare few Lords of House Potter, brought it closer to the line that threaded between Light and Dark. Far too close for many on the Light side's comfort.

Although never have any Lords of House Potter actively supported any Dark Lords, but neither have they pledged allegiance to any Light Wizard of influence. Not a grey family per se, but held loyalties to none but itself. The stubbornness of each Lord Potter reminded Harry of himself, and his grandfather who had included the condition – swear loyalty to no one but yourself.

The various houses' words and sigils was something very interesting as well. Intrigued, Harry proceeded to memorize each of the Houses' words and sigil. Surely this will come in handy when he is standing amongst the Pureblood houses, where words of thinly veiled manipulations inebriate the mind and poison the heart.

He would have to thread lightly on the thin ice that was the clandestine manipulations and puppeteering of Pure Blood wizarding society. Behind every facade of aristocratic smiles and pleasantries, lies an eager hand holding a dagger with your name on it.

* * *

**(1) whispers of wisdom and the dead. We are the prophets of death. Release us and be rewarded with our loyalty. Walk away and be forever denied. **

Alright, and here's chapter 3. I know it's not as long as the previous two chapters but I wanted to save the train scene for the next chapter. This chapter is more of a FYI chapter, I'm basically answering questions, and clarifying any doubts you might have had.

I am still rather busy and despite my recent increased vigor in writing this story, I still have duties and responsibilities that I cannot forgo in favor of my hobby. I'd like to thank all those who had reviewed the last chapter again, I am so glad many of you liked it.

**Next, Huginn and Muninn. Will they have a large part to play in this story? Honestly, I don't know yet. I am going to see the reader's reaction to them first before deciding what to do with them. They could be uncommon house pets Harry could have, or more worldly beings that could impart wisdom and advice to Harry who will have a much more significant role.**

**The marriage contracts. No, Harry is not going to go on a marrying spree and be married to twenty women in one night, and possess the libido of an adonis. Remember that many of the betrothal contracts are ancient and could have had male offsprings. So just to clarify, Harry is not going to be the husband of twenty different wives. Don't be ridiculous.**

**Once again, any advice and tips from you all will be really helpful. Please review if you have any questions or if you want to bite my head off for any mistakes I might have made (I deserve it!). Love it, Hate it, Review it.**

_Seriously, Review. _

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter)_


	4. Hogwarts Express

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 4

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or anything else I may have used.

Author's Notes : **So, not everybody liked the ravens. That's alright, I wasn't really looking forward to making them sentient deities or whatnot. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"The train at platform 2 is currently boarding. All passengers please mind the train doors. The train will be leaving for London Marylebone at 10:00 am." A gentle voice announced throughout the station as commuters or travelers messily walked to their destinations.

Harry stood within the maelstrom of people and luggage, staring at the ticket. The train he was supposed to board appeared to be in the platform 9¾. Now, though he might not have traveled by train a lot, well never, Harry was pretty sure a platform with a numerical fraction did not exist.

Huginn and Muninn had opted to explore the station and flew away the moment Harry stepped into King's Cross station. Harry wasn't worried. During the remaining month he had lived in St. Margaret's Orphanage, they had frequently took to the skies but always returned before the night.

The boy turned towards platform 9, deducing that he would probably get some form of a hint there. The sleek leather handle on his briefcase was comfortable in his hand. It weighed as though nothing was in it, even though it had around 20kg worth of books in them.

Harry had returned to Diagon's alley a week after his first trip. The books he had purchased were all already been finished and absorbed. The theories within were very intriguing, the information limited within was just too lacking for Harry's taste. In order to accommodate his desire for knowledge, Harry went and purchased over 30 more books at Flourish and Blotts.

The thick tomes containing many theories of the respective masters of their arts. Spell books contained various spells used for various situations. Though he was unfortunately not allowed to perform any of those. _Elementary Potions & Detailed guide on their ingredients_ was a fascinating read.

Unlike his first year Potions course book, _Magical Drafts and Potions,_ _Elementary Potions & Detailed guide on their ingredients _contained a far more detailed and in depth study into the ingredients and their distinctive effects. Many information about how an ingredient contributed to the potion's effectiveness or how an ingredient magnified another potion's effectiveness such as the Solar Bloom flower which turns a regular Wildfire potion into a blazing inferno. He also found that the book was targeting a specific audience, Grade 1 brewers.

After dissecting the text word by word, Harry had a comprehensive understanding of most basic potions as well as their ingredients. He had later found the next book written by the same author, _Apprentice Potions & Detailed guide on their ingredients_. Apparently, Potion brewers had a mastery system within the Wizarding World.

A Grade 1 brewer would be classified as a novice. Most novices would be students four or more years into their education, or a recent graduate interested in the field of Potion Brewing. A Potion NEWTs student would be classified as a Novice accordingly.

Grade 2 - 3 brewers were classified as apprentices. Novices who had gained a certain level in Potions can be taken on as apprentices by Potion Masters. A Grade 3 brewing level could be earned through the recognition of their mentors.

While a Grade 4 brewer were classified as Masters. In order to be fully recognized as a Potion Master, a mastery must first be attained of course. A mastery could be attained after pending by the National Potions Association. Requirements are as follows : An original Potion thesis, brewing ability judged by a panel of impartial Potion Masters, acknowledgment from a certified Potions Master willing to vouch for his apprentice's ability.

After a mastery has been acquired, the new Potions Master would receive a Bronze Cauldron certification. Two more levels can then be attained, Silver and Gold, with significant contributions to the field of Potions.

A Grade 5 brewer, the highest grade, were classified as Grand Masters. To be even eligible for consideration, one would have to be a Potion Master with a Gold Cauldron certification. A school must be set up in one's name and have 5 apprentices at least. Invention of a Grade 5 potion, tested and checked, as well as at least 20 years of experience total and 10 years of experience as a Potions Master.

In all of Wizarding History, only 5 have achieved the rank of Grand Master. Founder of the elite and exclusive French Potions Guild _Le Chaudron Noir (The Black Cauldron)_, Alexandre Noir. The two co-founders of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Mungo Bonham and Edgar Hargrave.

Legendary alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, creator of the single Philosopher's Stone in existence as well as co-founder of Allester University of Magic. And finally, the inventor of at least a quarter of the total number of potions in existence, infamous for the creation of hundreds of dark potions and poisons : Vance Warwick Blackwood, founder of the elusive dark guild, Phantom Riders_. _

In addition, Harry purchased a dozen more spell books. One of them was very unique indeed. Written by a Italian dueling champion who reigned over the international dueling circuit for 8 years, _Chiamare Gli Elementi (Calling The Elements)_ was a tome filled with his teachings.

The first half contained an analyzed and broken down study of elemental spells, teaching what is elemental spells exactly. While the second half was composed of a list of every elemental spell, and a few other extras, the author had learned. Although the last page of the book did say _every _spell with the exception of his most devastating ones.

Harry had practiced the wand motions and everything that was required to launch these spells over and over, and was confident that the first time he tried would be a success.

Another book that caught his attention was a battle manual written by an American wizard who was once part of a Mage squad working for the American government. It's crude title did the manual no justice. _Stick Them with the Pointy End_ was an excellent book that taught the importance of movement and tactics during a duel. The author had specifically emphasized on the importance of a strong and fit body that was battle-ready at all times. Many parts of the book were detailed retelling of the soldier's personal encounters that was very enlightening.

So enthralled in the book that Harry had started to work out and exercise around the orphanage. Though he was never a weak child, Harry could not be described as being 'strong' or 'fit'. Proper nourishment was ensured at the orphanage, though the lack of sunlight gave Harry an waxen paleness which only brought out his vibrant green eyes further.

Though only two or three weeks into the exercise regime, Harry had developed slight muscles over his adolescent body. He still could not be described as 'strong', but he was well on his way. The rather intense work outs as well as the regular intake of nutritional potions now gave him a healthy glow.

Ah, yes the potions. Harry had discovered an abandoned shack not far from the orphanage when he was younger. It was a discreet place, in small hidden garden covered by thick vines and branches. It was Harry's personal oasis during his stay in St. Margaret's, a place of relaxation as well as a means of escape from the annoying children. It was also a perfect place for brewing potions.

Following Draco's advice, he had first started with a Cure for boils. At first, handling of the equipment was awkward as Harry was not used to cutting or dicing ingredients. He had never cooked before nor had he participated in the dinner preparation like the other children had.

However, after an hour or two, his movements had become fluid and swift. Harry had an artist's hands, steady and agile. Crushing of the snake fangs became almost effortless after Harry developed a pattern for grinding them. Slicing the horned slugs into thin slices of exact proportions was easier as Harry's hands smoothly slit the slimy entrails of the slugs.

After a few days and a few hours invested into potion brewing, he realized he was a natural at it. He finished the Sleeping draught a week after beginning his routine practice. Harry then moved on further into his potion texts and found a nutrition potion that seemed relatively simple to make. He was wrong. After an afternoon's sunlight had been drained, hours of faults and mistakes, Harry finally brewed a decent nutritional potion that was only slightly off its ideal color. It took only a few more tries after to brew it perfectly with ease.

The nutritional potions gave him the an ideal amount of vitamins and nutrients needed for Harry's growth. Furthermore, Harry had even upgraded the usual dismal taste with a more tasteful substitute. He would only later learn that tweaking a complicated Grade 2 potion could have earned him an apprenticeship with a good number of Potion Masters in England.

A few other books he had invested in was about the complicated art of rune work. It was no doubt, the greatest challenge to his intellect within everything he had seen thus far. One book, _First Tier Runes, _was filled to the brim with dozens of unique runes. According to the book, each individual rune contained a unique meaning and thus a unique magical property if used correctly.

Take the words of Thu'um for example. Using a combination of three runic words : YOL which stood for fire, TOOR which stood for inferno, SHUL which stood for sun. A viable medium together with a runic array of YOL TOOR SHUL, created a fury of flames and fire. Inhale air, exhale flame, and behold the Thu'um as inferno.

Or another combination : WULD which stood for wind, NAH which stood for fury, KEST which stood for tempest. The combination WULD NAH KEST would normally not have any effect, however when engraved temporarily on the body, the Thu'um rushes forward, carrying you in its wake with the speed of a tempest. Or so it said in the book.

And that was only a tier one rune. There were all together three tiers containing the runes under any classification at all. A few other books contained drawings and descriptions of even more runic arrays that was not under the tier system. The Sumerian runes and Mayan runes, both ancient runic arrays, could be woven together in a weave of runes and magics.

Harry also acquired a few rare tomes that the owner of Flourish and Blotts had kept aside for his more wealthy patrons. A couple in the shop owner's collection seemed redundant, only worth a pretty galleon as a collectible. However, a few of what he had, namely the ones Harry had purchased, were very fascinating.

He had purchased two separate texts on the rare art of Alchemy. Books on the subject were very rare and very valuable. He had spent a few thousand galleons for both of them. Though it did not even leave a scratch on Harry's considerable fortune, it was rather vexing to have spent a small fortune on the two thick tomes.

The first was a copy of an alchemist's grimoire, the original long lost, titled _Equivalent Exchange. _The author, Edward Elric, had lived in the 13th century, who had been a famed master of alchemy. Though he was not on the level of Nicholas Flamel, Elric was an alchemist acclaimed in his own right.

The book had luckily been an extensive introduction to alchemy and emphasized heavily on the impossibility of creating matter through alchemy, yet the possibility of constructing a new object through the conversion of elements was very real, and easily achieved. For example, a sword of bronze could be created by bonding copper and tin, both common elements.

The second was the personal journal of, surprisingly, a japanese alchemist. The owner's name had not been written in the journal, not even a nickname or an alias. Within was a very enlightening tome that continued where _Equivalent Exchange _left off. The owner must have lived in the before or during the Japanese's Sengoku era, a warring states period that lasted from the 15th century to the 17th century as Harry had found several mentions of what the author referred to as "the war".

Within, were many descriptions and notes of the alchemical tactics that he had used during the war : making a wall of rock rise from the earth to defend his comrades from the arrows that covered the skies, or reaching into the ground to pull out an iron spear to stab his enemies. There were also numerous studies on chemistry inside, detailing the elemental composition of various metallic alloys. Bronze, brass and steel made good weaponry apparently as the author had included many descriptive scenes of him disemboweling an enemy with weapons made of such alloys.

An important foot note near the end of the journal piqued Harry's interest. The owner has spent a few years of his life searching for what he had called 'the perfect sword'. During the latter years of his life, he had attempted thousands of mixtures of metals with each other, trying to find the perfect composition that made the perfect sword.

However, at the end of the very last page, he had only written a single of word, "Success". There was no mention of what metals he had used, or what percentage. And on the back cover of the book, a complicated alchemy circle was carved in to the leather before being traced with white ink. In the middle however, instead of the usual alchemical hexagram, was the symbol of a three pronged tomoe, an unrecognizable symbol in the middle. Perhaps it was the owner's insignia?

Harry had put it in the mental checklist of things to do, interested in what the 'perfect sword' would be like. It would be a katana, as the author had mentioned that being his favorite weapon, but he couldn't rule out it being a naginata, a tsurugi or even a tanto.

Aside from the alchemic tomes, Harry had also discovered a book on wandless magic which had no title. It had cost a few hundred galleons for it, and frankly, it was trash. The boy had wanted to confront the shop owner about the authenticity of the book but thought otherwise. The information found in the book was a valid source. However, the supposed feats of wandless magic described in the book, Harry had already performed since he was a toddler.

He did find out that the magic he was already doing wandlessly could not be tracked by the ministry and was thus put to good use, practicing simple charms with a wave of his hand. If not for the ministry's stupid laws on underage magic, he could be flinging curses and hexes with a thrust of his hand by now. Wandless magic had to be integrated from wand magic first. He had learned that the hard way when he tried, fruitlessly, to perform spells without even using them with a wand first.

Harry stood in between platforms 9 and 10, turning his head at the two signs in incredulous disbelief. He glanced at the ticket in his hand again, wondering if there was a typo error. It had to be, right? How could there be a train station platform with a fraction?

"Hey!"

Harry jumped internally, although he turned calmly to the sudden voice. He found a girl with vivid red hair and stunning violet eyes grinning brightly at him. She was pulling a large trunk behind her.

Reciprocating the smile, Harry took on his recently developed rakish persona. "Hello, I'm afraid I've not have the pleasure to meet you before. Do I perhaps know you from somewhere?"

The girl's grin turned sheepish. "I'm sorry, we've never met before. I just saw you looking around in confusion and thought you might need a hand. Where are my manners, I'm Susan. Susan Bones." She extended a hand.

Harry raised an eyebrow "I did not think you meant I needed a hand, literally."

Susan blushed and pouted before Harry chuckled "I jest. It's a pleasure, Susan. I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Taking her hand in his own, he gave it a gentle shake.

He of course expected the immediate gasp "You-You're Harry Potter?"

Harry shrugged "As far as I know."

The girl grinned "It's nice to meet you, boy-who-lived."

"Oh, that infernal title!" Harry jokingly said, as Susan giggled.

"Why do you say so?"

"Everywhere I go, people would gasp and shout, pointing and whispering. Just because I was in a few books, and perhaps a month's worth of cover pages on magazines and newspapers, doesn't mean I deserve a superfluous nickname that has one too many hyphens."

Susan giggled even more, watching Harry's self melancholy. "I don't think it's that bad. Boy-who-lived doesn't sound as bad as H-He-who-shall-not-be-named."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the hesitance at even saying such a ridiculous name, but he did not comment on it.

"Well, I guess. I mean, I shudder to think if a random reporter came up with the name 'Boy-who-just-wouldn't-die first." Harry gave a comical shiver, making Susan laugh. Deciding it would only be a proper social protocol for him to laugh as well, Harry joined in, his genuine-sounding laughter chorused with Susan's.

After the laughter died down, Susan smiled softly. "I can't wait to tell Aunt Amelia that I met _the_ Harry Potter. She would have liked you as well."

"As well?"

Susan blushed at the slip of her tongue. "I mean, S-she wouldn't have, well no, I mean-"

Harry chuckled, "Don't worry about it."

Susan glared mockingly at him before she glanced at a wall behind him. "You're looking for platform 9 ¾, right? Well, it's right behind you."

Harry turned to look at the wall Susan had pointed out. "Okay... I'm sure platform 9 ¾ is a wall. But why don't you try again." He said, slowly as if speaking to a child.

Susan slapped his arm playfully "No, silly. The wall is a barrier magically concealed, but it's actually the entrance to platform 9 ¾"

Harry nodded, looking slightly amazed externally. 'If what she says is true, then the wall before me is a rather impressive piece of charms and runes work. Concealment charm? No, not powerful enough to envelop the entirety of King's Cross. It has to be a powerful charm, perhaps the fidelius, to create such a large scale illusion. No, I have to consider the possibility that it might not even be an illusion. A portal, perhaps? If so, then transportation runic arrays must have been engraved somewhere. Is it powerful enough, though? I read that the floo network essentially worked as a teleporter, but with the unique assistance of magical floo powder. Could runes substitute the use of floo powder to create a portal to another place entirely? I'm over thinking things, ah, she's speaking.'

"-well if you follow me, you will find out if it's true or not." Susan prompted him with a challenge, her hand beckoning him to follow.

Readying herself, Susan jogged slightly before accelerating in to a slow run, dragging the trunk behind her.

'If this doesn't work, she's going to end up with a face full of brick. That would be rather fortunate, she does have a pleasant appearance.' Harry mused.

If seemed that Susan was having similar thoughts as Harry noticed that she had tightened her eyes and gritted her teeth before impact. It was quite shocking to see her slip right through the wall as if there was nothing there.

Harry looked around, 'Impressive... no one even noticed. Are they too busy, I doubt it. Not many could ignore a 11-year old girl running towards a wall, dragging a trunk with her. A notice-me-not charm, then? Or does the illusion include the area around the entrance as well?'

His thoughts continued running as he comfortably walked through the barrier. The world around him immediately brightened up considerably. A few people were already there, not many though, because Harry was rather early. He wanted to beat the crowd and get a compartment early. It would be too bothersome if someone noticed the scar. Speaking of which, was still hidden underneath his long fringe.

Susan was on the other side waiting for him, her familiar pretty grin still in place. Harry glanced towards the left as a large red and black locomotive train appeared in his vision.

"Impressive isn't it?" Susan said. Harry turned to her, she was admiring the large train as well.

"Yes, it is. Well, should we get a compartment?"

Susan rapidly turned to him "W-we, as in us?"

Harry nodded briefly, "Well of course, who else is there?"

The girl blushed beet red. Harry was not sure what she was blushing about, he was merely following the social norm in which a suggestion to travel together should be given by one party to encourage building friendly relations. It was not as if he had asked- oh... he got it. She must have misunderstood the meaning of my question, perhaps judging my question as a romantic gesture.

Harry wanted to interject and attempt to clarify the misunderstanding before Susan gave a shy nod and a barely audible "Okay." before turning towards the train, looking downwards shyly.

'I don't think it would be a good moment to say oh, sorry, I have no romantic inclination towards you. Have a good day. She does look absolutely adorable with those red cheeks, though.'

* * *

They found an empty compartment near the middle. Susan blushed prettily again when Harry offered to help her move her luggage. When they sat down, an awkward silence appeared between them. Deciding to break the ice, Harry spoke.

"Which house do you think you will-"

"Which house do you think you will-"

The two spoke simultaneously, Susan blushed while Harry rubbed the back of his head roguishly, giving a smile.

The initial awkwardness between them was soon overcome as they started discussing about the different aspects of Hogwarts.

Honestly though, Harry had no interest in anything she was saying. The only reason why he was still here was because he had recognized the girl's last name. The Founding House of Bones. Their sigil was a moon and falcon, their colors were blue and white. Their words were _Exaltaveris Quasi Honorem_, meaning As High As Honor. With a total vault value of over a billion, they were the top 1 percent of the Wizarding World, in regards to both finance and influence.

She had mentioned about her Aunt Amelia as well. The only name that came up was Amelia Bones, Head of the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Once a powerful auror whose absence in the field was caused by her promotion. Now she was merely a pencil-pusher stuck in an office holding on to the few shreds of superiority she still has. Even so, it would be most beneficial to have friends in high places. It would only do him good to befriend Susan and thus her Aunt in order to subtly garner their alliance.

"-ve been reading some of our course books as well. Did you know that we'll be learning to turn a matchstick in to a needle?" Susan was rambling, but it was merely common courtesy for Harry to smile and nod, occasionally interjecting with thoughts of his own to prove he had been listening.

"Yes, I've had read about that too. That particular magic is under the branch of Transformation Transfiguration. It focuses on deforming the physical features of an object. It is one of the simplest Transfiguration spells that builds up the basis of our foundation. Transforming inanimate object to inanimate object only requires the following : Magical ability, will, intent and imagination-"

Susan giggled.

Harry gave an abashed smile, "I read. A lot."

"I can see that."

"So..." Harry tapped his fingers against the window sill, "We haven't settled the first topic of discussion : Which house do you think you'll be in?"

Susan took on a pondering look, "Hmm, well probably Gryffindor I guess, or perhaps Hufflepuff. The house of the brave and courageous or the house of the loyal and hardworking suits me the most. Compared to cunning and ambitious or wisdom and knowledge."

Harry leaned forward in interest, "You have something against Slytherin and Ravenclaw, then?"

Susan shook her head, "Not particularly. It's just that I heard from my aunt the characteristics of each house, and supposed they didn't really suit me very well."

The boy smiled, "Ah, fairness and equality. That's a trait Hufflepuffs value."

She returned with a brighter smile, "Like I said. Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."

"Hey, a little birdy told me that Potions is going to be a real thorn in the flesh."

Susan raised an eyebrow "A little birdy?"

"I have my sources, Susan dear." Harry's impish smirk and soft green eyes made Susan's heart flutter.

"The word is, that the Potions Professor is also the Head of the Slytherin House and is thus very biased towards Slytherins. More often than not, he lets them get their way while punishing students of other houses for senseless, minor issues."

Susan frowned, "That seems unprofessional. Wouldn't the headmaster do something about it?"

"I'd like to think so." Harry caught a flash of platinum blonde outside the compartment door. "Excuse me for a moment, I just found someone I had been looking for." Sliding open the door, he exited, not seeing the pout on Susan's face.

"Well, if it isn't Draco Malfoy."

Said boy turned around and grinned when he saw Harry leaning against the wall. "Harry! It's good to see you again, how have you been?"

"Can't complain. What about you, anything new in your life?"

"Well, I'm going to Hogwarts, does that count?"

Harry grinned "Sure. Hey, why don't you join us, I've a compartment right here."

"Of course! Lead the way."

Opening the compartment door he noticed Susan's questioning glance turning sour when she saw the trademark Malfoy blond hair before returning to the passive state it was before. "Susan, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Susan Bones."

Draco had not noticed the sour look, but looked hesitant to approach her as well. "It's a good to meet you again, Ms. Bones." He held her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles, as was pureblood custom.

"Indeed, Mr. Malfoy." Susan had met him before, during a ball when she was 8. They had been introduced briefly to each other by their parents and had not had much contact since. But the name Malfoy had been held in poor regard by her Aunt Amelia, so she had never really liked them as well.

Harry noticed the somber atmosphere and decided it was not a good environment to improve his friendship with them. "Come on, now. We're all friends here, forget the pureblood traditional practices. I'm sure we are able to address each other informally."

Draco looked at Harry in interest, not familiar with the warm attitude he had now possessed. The Harry he had met in Diagon alley had a flair of aristocratic indifference. His now gentle green eyes contrasted with those previously cold emerald orbs.

Susan merely smiled, "If you say so, Harry. Please take a sit, Draco."

Ready to return the pleasantries, he responded with a smile of his own, "Thank you." A smile that he had spent hours practicing with teachers who taught him pureblood customs and practices. A smile which apparently didn't even hold a candle to Harry's natural charismatic rugged grin.

"Say, Draco. I've actually been brewing some potions during the months time." Harry started, attempting to start rolling the conversation ball.

"Oh? How far have you got to? Forgetfulness potion? Sleeping Draught?"

"Actually..." Harry flipped open his briefcase.

Susan looked around, "I never noticed before, but where's your trunk, Harry?"

"Right here," Harry tapped the briefcase while he opened a compartment and searched through it. "It cost a small fortune, but it's worth every galleon."

Fishing out a phial, he handed it to Draco. "I started working on Nutritional Potions and was wondering if my own stock was as good as the ones in the market."

"N-Nutritional Potions!?" Draco exclaimed in disbelief.

Harry nodded mutely, not surprised at his reaction, "Well, yeah, it's quite simple to make, only the ingredients are a bother to prepare."

Susan's eyes widened considerably as well, "You've been brewing potions? That's so cool! Aunt Amelia wouldn't let me go near the mansion's Potions laboratory."

"And a Nutritional potion no less..." Draco muttered as he examined the flask. He had seen them before, even drank them before but he didn't really like the coppery and cloying taste. The color was identical to the ones he had seen in apothecaries, a deep lavender with a slight glow on the surface.

Draco shook it slightly, noting the thickness and density of the liquid within. He opened the crystal vial and took a sniff. Scrunching his forehead in confusion he turned to Harry "It has a different smell. The usual has a unique smell of rust, but this smells sweeter, better."

"Oh, that's because I tweaked the potion slightly to improve the taste."

Susan took the phial from Draco and examined it herself "Tweaked it how so?"

"I thought the taste was bland and distasteful, so I researched some ingredients that have been previously used to enhance the taste of potions before. However, I ran into a dead end on that path because after some calculations, none of those ingredients were compatible with the ingredients that make up the Nutritional potion. I took to the books and after some trial and error, I found out that the addition of dia corpes, verillium salts and dried nettles, enhanced the taste to a satisfiable level."

Draco was completely in awe internally. His father had once told him about the various grades of potions when he had expressed curiosity over the subject. Improving an existing potion was worthy of at least an award from the Nation Potion Association.

He recalled the night he returned home and the conversation he had shared with his father when Draco told him he had befriended Harry Potter. Keep an eye on him and further deepen their friendship. Receive an alliance and gain his trust, his father had told him. Harry Potter was sure to become a powerful figure in the Wizarding World, and his father made sure to have reminded him of that. And he was right. Looking at the potion alone, he would definitely become a huge influential power in the future.

Susan was unaware of the difficulty successfully improving a grade 2 potion possessed and though she was very impressed, she was not shocked into silence like Draco. "That's amazing! Have you done anything else?"

Draco looked at her in incredulity "Done anything else? The Nutritional potion is a grade 2 potion, something we would not even be learning to brew in our seven years in Hogwarts. Not only did Harry successfully brew it to perfection, he even managed to improve upon it, a momentous historical record!"

Susan opened her mouth slightly in surprise while Harry merely laughed softly. "It's not that impressive, Draco. I'm sure you are pretty good too."

The Malfoy heir merely paled and nodded dumbly ,"Y-yeah... I guess..."

"Will the others be joining us?" Harry asked Draco as he promptly kept the crystal phial.

Draco nodded before grinning "Yep, I'm pretty sure they are. You should have heard what the girls said about you after you left."

Susan looked suspiciously at the both of them "What girls?"

Harry turned to her "Oh, just two of Draco's friends I met when we went shopping for our school supplies together. Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis."

Susan recognized the name Greengrass and remembered a pretty girl with silky black hair and icy blue eyes she had met at the same ball she had met Draco. Susan frowned slightly at the thought of Harry interacting with a pretty girl like Daphne, but kept her silence.

"He's so handsome~" Draco mockingly said in a high pitched voice, imitating a girl. Which girl Harry was not sure.

Not sure how to reply Harry merely chuckled "They didn't say that!"

Draco chuckled as well "Oh believe me, Tracy did."

"What about Daphne?" Susan added, looking at Draco.

The blonde boy thought for a moment before saying "She was worse! Blushing whenever Tracy asked her what she thought of the 'green eyed cutie'. I was rather jealous for awhile that both Daphne and Tracy probably has a crush on you. Then I realized that Tracy probably has a crush on you, which evens things out."

The two boys laughed, only Harry noticed Susan biting her lips in vexation.

The door suddenly opened and the familiar silky black hair and Tracy Davis' similarly smooth brown hair was the most eye catching. "Harry!" Tracy yelled before rushing to hug Harry, for a moment too long. Daphne followed her in while Blaise trailed behind.

"Speak of the devil..." Draco muttered as Daphne flushed red at the sight of Harry.

"It's good to see you too, Tracy, Daphne, Blaise. Oh, pardon me. This is Susan Bones. Susan, they're Daphne Greengrass, Tracy Davis and Blaise Zabini." Harry said, introducing everyone.

"I'm here too, not that anyone cares." Draco threw in among the introductions.

Blaise sighed and put a hand on Draco's shoulder in a comforting manner, "You think you have it bad? On the way here, the two kept wanting to find Harry. They didn't even let me have a proper goodbye with my mother before they pulled me away."

They all took a seat. Well, Tracy dragged Draco, who was sitting next to Harry, away before situating herself by his side. Daphne not wanting to lose out, situated herself on Harry's other side. The two grabbed his arms and glared at each other. Harry turned to the two of them, both amused and confused.

Susan glared at both of them, missing out on the chance to sit beside him. She had thought that it was only going to be the both of them when Harry had asked to share a compartment. 'He was so bold too, asking a girl he had just met 5 minutes ago to share a-' Susan blushed heavily.

Draco and Blaise stared at the scene in front of them, turned to each other, and sighed dramatically. It seemed that they were going to have to start getting used to such a spectacle every time Harry is within reaching distance of a girl.

* * *

Soon after, the train had started to move. The group engaged in small talk amongst each other when Blaise suddenly asked out loud "Did any of you practice spell casting at home?" Harry was slightly dubious within. Underage magic was illegal, who could cast any spells at home without the ministry finding out.

It was to his utter shock when all of them except him said they did. They turned to Harry at the absence of his voice pitching in. "Harry, you didn't practice anything at home?" Daphne asked, curious. All of them gave him questioning looks, as if demanding an answer to Harry.

Fuck, what was he going to say. He couldn't look surprise and ask why they can use magic at home, they might figure out his muggle upbringing. He couldn't risk that, currently he has their acknowledgment as one of them and if he makes a mistake here, he could possibly lose their friendship. To lose a prospective alliance with two Founding Houses and one particularly wealthy Noble House and two minor Houses would be akin to a stab to the gut.

Well, Susan might not hold anything against him. She did not seem to hold prejudices against any particular house or even towards the purity of blood, but he could be wrong. He might be over thinking things still. They might not even have anything against muggles or muggleborns, and might even accept him as their own regardless of his upbringing, magical or muggle. Could he take that chance, though? No... of course not. Why gamble when the solution has been in existence since the First Men. Lying has been the backbone of nations and empires after all.

Harry rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, I did, but I didn't think it was anything impressive, so I didn't want to say anything."

All of them had a look of understanding though Draco breathed a sigh of relief internally. It was not possible for a person to be both a genius in potion brewing and magical talent, right? That would be too unfair for the rest of us.

Daphne smiled softly "Don't be modest, I'm sure you are much better than you think. Why don't you show us a spell, your best one."

Harry took on a pondering expression before nodding and walked over to the window and slid it open. "What are you-"

"**Ignis Tempestas!" **

A powerful stream of glowing, liquid fire burst out of the tip of Harry's wand and out of the train compartment. It was a powerful fire elemental spell he had learned from _Chiamare Gli Elementi, _and it was his first time, honest to god, casting the spell. He had memorized the exact wand waving movement and had been confident in succeeding in his first try. However, the book had described a much larger column of flame, and if it had been the Italian dueling champion casting it, the flame would have been a bright blaze of blue flames. Disappointing.

Another thing he took note of was the moment he had finished the incantation. It was euphoric, as if a growing mass of substance was finally released as he poured the required magic into his wand. Harry's knew that magic was, when stripped down to the bare essentials, the act of performing your conscious subconscious thought. So in order to utilize magic, you have to crystallize your own properties into a mental, spiritual force that was the magic ability within you.

Never did he think that the first time he actually performed a spell on a wand was the release of this innate force within him. A force that seemed to have had a blockage, a dam in his sea of magic. Utilizing the wand as a conduit to liberate the seemingly limitless amount of energy inside him felt so relieving.

The rest of the occupants had been shocked into silence at the display, only Draco managed to speak before the rest of them. "What in Merlin's name is _that_!?"

Harry turned to them, and seemingly looked confused at their awed expressions. "That was just a fire elemental spell I found in a book. And to be honest, that was quite a disappointing result."

"D-disappointing, Harry? That was brilliant!" Susan exclaimed. The initial shock was slowly leaving them and was replaced with a look of wonder and amazement.

Daphne got up and playfully smacked his arm, "And you told us you didn't think it was anything impressive, I think I can pretty much speak for everyone here that none of us can do something even remotely close to that!"

Harry looked as astonished as them, "Really? I thought it was something everybody could do."

Blaise Zabini was once again reminded of what it was about Harry Potter that intrigued him in the first place. That spell must have been at least fifth year or up, yet a first-year, no someone who hadn't even had a single lesson at Hogwarts yet, managed to cast it effortlessly. He could feel the heat even from where he was sitting which only further proved Harry Potter's magical superiority.

It was a scary thought, actually, to known that Harry could fling his wand at him and have him reduced to ashes with a wave and a chant. Blaise had imagined his life in Hogwarts many times before today, but he knew now that the only path he could see himself on would be the one behind Harry Potter.

Draco Malfoy knew he had been wrong the moment the flames left Harry Potter's wand. It was possible for a person to not only possess immense genius in Potions as well as having unprecedented magical potential. The fact that he had cast such a powerful elemental spell that Draco had never even heard of before was proof enough.

Harry had even admitted that what he could do was nothing impressive. There was no reason to doubt him, so the only conclusion Draco ended up with was the fact that Harry Potter's talent had no limits and his Father had been right, frighteningly accurate even. What was he going to do with such a powerhouse amidst this generation of witches and wizards. Not only a powerhouse either, an insanely smart boy wizard who had the potential to rival Headmaster Dumbledore or even... even the dark lord.

* * *

The door slid open suddenly, making all conversation within the compartment to cease. A chubby boy took a step in only to pull it back at the sight of six witches and wizards staring straight at him. The boy's cheeks flushed in nervousness and his pupils dilated. He didn't speak, either in fear or anxiety.

"Yes? May we help you?" Harry spoke up, wishing for this massive waste of time to get out of his sight. His initial reaction was retracted immediately as the boy introduced himself.

He looked downwards, barely gathering the courage to speak. "Er- I, I'm Neville Longbottom, and I, I-"

Draco scrunched up in distaste, "Speak up or leave, Longbottom. Can't you see you're not welcome here?"

Harry raised a hand in front of Draco, "Now, don't be rude, Draco. Let him speak, it would only be common courtesy for an heir of the most Noble and ancient house of Malfoy. Right?"

Harry shot a sharp look at the Malfoy Heir, sending him into a flustered mess. "Right, sorry. Please, Longbottom, continue."

The only reason Harry had defended the chubby boy was because he had recognized his last name. Longbottom, one of the Founding Houses. The sigil was a red sun pierced by a golden spear on a shield of red and blue. Their words :_ Inclinavit, Inflectere, Indomitosque –_ Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.

Harry had immediately profiled him the moment the boy introduced himself. A curved stature, looking downwards and unconfident, the boy was the direct contrast of his House's motto. The boy had been trying to look anywhere but at them, suggesting a lack of contact with peers of his own age. If he could be that 'friend' the boy must have been dying to find, his loyalty would be all but promised.

"I, I er- lost my toad, Trevor. I was w-wondering if you have seen it." Neville clumsily explained, his hands pulling at the fabric of his robes. 'Too easy.' Harry thought as he stood up.

"The solution is simple enough. **Accio Trevor the toad!**"

Neville looked shock. A boy who looked around the same age as him was performing such an advanced spell already.

A dark greenish brown blur flew through the door and landed landed on Harry's open palm. The toad looked not at all surprised at being pulled through the air and finding itself in a boy's hand, in fact he looked quite comfortable sitting on Harry's palm.

Not liking the slimy, grotesque amphibian at all, Harry stretched out his hand and handed the toad into Neville's waiting arms. He then sent a quick **Scourgify** at his hand, vanishing the layer of slick goo on it. "Try not to lose it again, Neville."

The chubby boy nodded, "Thank you so much, I'm not letting it out of my sight until we reach Hogwarts. Sorry, you are..."

Harry sent a charismatic smile, "I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

Of course, the gasp that everyone produced the first time they met him was expected. Neville gasped, "_The_ Harry Potter? The boy-who-lived?"

Harry chuckled "Or so I've been told."

The chubby boy gulped and turned to them. "I-I should go back now." He left as abruptly as he came in.

Harry closed the door and settled back into his seat. "I apologize for interrupting you earlier, Draco, but I was afraid you would have been making a grave mistake."

Draco looked hesitant to ask, but did so anyways, "What do you mean a grave mistake?"

The Potter heir looked disappointed at Draco's lack of foresight. "That boy that just left is Neville Longbottom, heir to one of the Founding Houses and has a total vault value of a little below 900 million galleons. I don't think you need me to decipher my intentions."

The blond boy looked disgruntled at being so casually dismissed for such a asinine reason. "That's exactly my point. He is a Longbottom, the Malfoys have never mingled with one of theirs, not even a single link exists to connect our two Houses, marital or otherwise. In fact, we have been enemies since our very first ancestor-"

"Then it is up to you to change that, Draco." Harry snapped. Draco winced at his tone of voice. "Let me impart some wisdom to you. It is always better to make friends than enemies. Similarly, it is easier to smile rather than frown. A kind gesture here and a smile there, what harm is there?"

Draco was undeterred but chose not to speak. He didn't want Harry to be upset with him. They could still be friends, even though they had separate ideologies.

* * *

Harry, Draco, Tracy and Daphne sat in the boat, the waters parting before their boat, causing small ripples across the still lake. The water looked opaque under the night sky. They had been warned about the dangers that lurked underneath these waters.

"Heads down!" The half giant in the front yelled out as they passed through a bridge.

Turning a corner, Harry caught his first glimpse of Hogwarts. It looked like a living fortress. Lights brightened up the entire castle, giving in an unearthly warm glow. The magnificent and fascinating castle was illuminated further from the light of the moon, showering it in beams of lunar light. Brick by brick, this castle was built, magic woven and weaved into every crack in the walls.

Harry could barely control the growing ball of excitement within him.

* * *

And that's it! Here's chapter 4, hoped you enjoyed it. It was quite tedious to write, I felt it was really difficult for me to deliver my thoughts in the form of words in this chapter. Not sure how you will think of it though. *****special thanks to author, OnTheImportanceOfLungs, who has been helping me a lot in regards to the yet to be developed magic system.

Love it, Hate it, Review it. Any advice and tips are gratefully welcomed, I'm still an amateur in writing Harry Potter stories, please review if you have any suggestions or ideas. I would really appreciate it.

_Seriously, Review._

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter)_


	5. The Sorting Ceremony

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 5

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or anything else I may have used.

Author's Notes : Here's chapter 5! I'm supposed to be studying for exams right now, but I couldn't focus until I finished this chapter. Day in and day out I've been trying to plan out what Harry's going to do in Hogwarts, which House he's going to, the friends he will make, the enemies that will definitely appear. I couldn't concentrate until I finished. I've added some new concepts that I put together from different stories.

So I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Harry stepped out of the boat with as much grace as he could muster. Extending a hand, he helped Daphne and Tracy out of the boat. They thanked him with a grateful smile, though Tracy had rubbed his hand affectionately when they touched.

Draco looked peeved when he hopped out of the boat and into a particularly thick pile of sharp pebbles. "Damn rocks. These shoes are new..." He muttered under his breath.

"C'mere now! Follow me, lest you get lost!" Hagrid yelled out as he began to lead the first years up a passageway in the rock. His lamp was the only illumination they received although the moonlight did creep through some cracks in the ceiling.

The first year students chatted excitedly as they made their way through the dark passageway. Most of them talked about the different houses and which they wished to join. Harry took the time to observe the students he would be working with in the future.

Most of them looked unkempt, and messy. Typical of an eleven year old, he supposed. They wore cheap robes of wool and cotton, judging by the dull stitches of their clothes. The soft and smooth silk that most of the purebloods wore stood up over the rest of the more mundane.

Susan and Blaise had caught up to them from behind, preferring to walk with those they knew. The redhead did not look comfortable being seen walking with children from known 'dark' families but did not object externally and continued to follow them. The reason why was not lost to Harry, him being the source of the attention she craved.

Harry received a rough estimate of which ones amongst the first year would be worth his time to interact with. The buffoons who were offering rather moronic guesses at how they would be sorted were definitely not worth his time. Nor worth his attention either, thinking about it now. Those who were mindlessly following the ones in front of them didn't seem very impressive either. He didn't want to seek the company of sheep.

Those who had an air of aristocracy, namely the purebloods and some of the halfbloods, were intriguing and fairly more interesting than the rest of the 'plebeians', as he had heard one of them refer to the muggleborns, but not by much. They had a smug, even snobby attitude that was repulsive to Harry. However, they were at least significantly wealthy, looking at the pricey robes they wore, so they were of some use in the future.

None of them seemed uniquely magically powerful either. Though that was expected as none of them had hit magical maturity yet. He could be wrong, of course. There was no reliable way for him to measure a person's magical capacity at the moment with only his eyes, so his guesses were as good as anyone else.

None amongst the group he walked with were talking. They were either mature enough not to be obliged to speak every 5 seconds and just like hearing their own voices, or perhaps they were scared out of their pants like some of the muggleborn children who were looking in every direction with either paranoia or fascination. Harry sincerely hoped it was the former.

They ambled up the last of the passageway and came out onto neatly trimmed damp grass that seemed full of life compared to the monotonous greenery at St. Margaret's.

They climbed up a short flight of stone steps, with the first years crowding behind the extremely large half-giant. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

When the door swung open, all chatter ceased. A tall, black haired woman in green-black robes appraised them. Her face was stony and stern, the wrinkles made her look well past her age. She looked over them all in stoic silence.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. The 12-feet tall half giant looked like a child next to the authoritarian professor.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She replied in a brusque haste.

The professor waved a wand and the door was pulled wide open. The entrance hall had a tall ceiling, its walls were decorated by flaming torches that gave it the ethereal glow Harry had seen outside.

The professor walked through the hall that fascinated the students. Harry was reminded of medieval castles he had read about, half expecting suits of armors decorating the- oh, there were suits of armor that decorated the hallways.

Harry could hear the distorted chatters through the thick doors in front of them, the rest of the student population must have arrived and was sitting in the Great Hall already. Professor McGonagall brought them into a small, empty chamber near the hall. They hurried in, feet already tired from the walk to the castle.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall started. "As you can probably infer from the noise, the rest of the school is already in the Great Hall, awaiting the arrival of the first-years for the Sorting before the start-of-year banquet begins. The Sorting is one of the most important events in your life in Hogwarts as it will determine which House you will enter and reside in for the next seven years. While you are here, your House will be your pseudo family. You will attend classes with your housemates, have all meals with them, and also spend free time with them in the house common room."

At this, the students became slightly more excited, loud murmurs began filling the chamber as they discussed about which house to join.

The professor cleared her throat, silencing the group instantly. "The four houses are : Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." She said the last name with the slightest bit of contempt and Harry was sure that he was one of the handful that caught it. "Each house has their own unique history and their graduates has been some of the most influential and important people in the world." She continued.

"While you are at Hogwarts, you will all follow by the set of rules that can be found in your house's common room notice board. Furthermore, Hogwarts follows a House point system. You can earn your house points through your triumphs, or have your house points deducted by rule breaking. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup." Several of the students nodded at this, while some fidgeted restlessly, nervous at the prospect of losing points.

"An important thing to note while you're here is this, Hogwarts follows a guild system. That is to say, the student body are divided into different factions. Guilds can be comprised of not only from a single house, but from other houses as well. So it will not be uncommon for a group to have members from all four different houses."

Harry widened his eyes. Guilds, what guilds? He had never heard that Hogwarts followed a guild system. He looked around, most of the muggleborns and a few of the halfbloods looked confused as well, though the purebloods seemed completely comfortable with the idea.

"Any points earned by you are not only added to your house, but also to your group. Similarly, the group with the highest points wins the Guild Cup along with an immensely valuable prize. Of course, any point deduction will be taken away from your group's points as well, thus the more prestigious and elite groups are more... selective of their candidates."

"During the first three months, you will not be required to join a group yet. However, after the grace period is over, it is compulsory for you to join a guild. You can either request membership into a specific guild, and if the guild leader deems you satisfiable, you will then be initiated. Or, for some of you here, you will be approached by a guild directly to be recruited into the guild, either based on your competency or worthiness."

"Those without a guild at the end of the three months will be automatically be distributed amongst the lowest ranked guilds. Ah, yes the rankings. Guilds are ranked according to the number of points they have achieved. As you can see, lower ranked guilds are treated differently from guilds of a higher rank."

"The higher the rank of a guild, the more privileges the members receive, for example their guild rooms. Guild rooms are basically the guild's base of operations, they hold meetings, parties or even to socialize. Which is why most guilds are exclusive about their members, not wanting to risk losing points due to unworthy members and also to gain a higher chance of gaining points. Of course, there is always the risk of being disbanded. The guild with an extremely low amount of points will be disbanded if they reach zero points or still have zero points after the first semester of the school year. Being disbanded is not only humiliating to the members, but also serves as a grave warning to others, making them double their efforts in order not to be disbanded."

"There are a few ways to gain points in Hogwarts. First, when a professor awards you for something you have done, be it answering a question or impressing them. Another is the biweekly challenge. Every two weeks, there will be a challenge where students can compete against each other in order to earn points. There are a variety of challenges students can participate it that encompasses every subject in Hogwarts and occasionally one that is outside of it. Students challenges are competed against students of the same year, meaning first year students compete against each other , so on and so forth. Winners of challenges will also receive a prize from the Professor holding the challenge."

"Another way to receive points would be from Quidditch matches. Representatives from their house will compete against each other in a series of games throughout the year. Each win will earn them 50 points to their house and 10 points each to their respective guilds. Reserve players gain 5 points from the games if they did not participate. This is all for now. Are there any questions?"

A few mutters ran through the group but no questions were asked. Professor McGonagall nodded, "Very well then. Please remember that both the House system and Guild system was set up to promote friendly rivalry and should be in no way intended to cause friction between students. Any fights and arguments that are not intellectual, non-violent debates, shall be _severely_ dealt with. Is that clear?"

A few murmurs of agreement could be heard.

"Now, The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. Smarten yourself up as much as you can while you are waiting. First impressions are very important if you want to attract the attention of the guild leaders."

She left the chamber.

At that, several of the students began to straighten their robes and combed their hair through their fingers. Harry merely adjusted the collar of his shirt and dusted off shoulders before using a quick **Scourgify** on his clothes.

These guilds sounded important and more like than not, determined a student's social standing. A member of the higher ranked guilds will certainly have more sway then those of a lower rank. It is possible that these guilds control the ebb and flow of the school, having control over certain areas. Not only will they receive the respect and admiration of others, these privileges sounds like something he would prefer over the spartan accommodations he had at St. Margarets.

Draco turned to him and looked over Harry's attire, before nodding in satisfaction. "Hope we end up in Slytherin together, Harry. We will be unstoppable together!" He whispered excitedly.

Harry looked at him and nodded politely, "It will be like taking candy from a baby."

The blond boy grinned at this before turning to Blaise, probably to secure his foothold with the Zabini heir as well.

Harry shot a glance at Tracy,who was still adjusting her robes, and Daphne, whom had been looking at him and turned away hastily when she was caught staring. Harry chuckled at her actions while Daphne blushed when she heard.

Susan had approached him then, "You'll be in Gryffindor, right? Then we would be in the same House!" She enthusiastically spoke in a hushed tone.

Harry shrugged, "Well, it doesn't really matter to me. Even if we're in different houses, we'll still be friends... right?" Susan immediately blushed in response, looked down and nodded quietly, gripping his robe's sleeve tightly, as though she was afraid to let him go. Harry was about to continue when he heard a loud voice exclaim.

"I heard we have to fight a troll, and we will be sorted reckon to how we fight it. The ones who face it bravely and takes it down will become Gryffindors while those who runs away with their tails between their legs will go to _Slytherin_."

Everyone turned to the bloke who had taken it upon himself to attract everyone's attention to him. Even those who were intending to go to Slytherin.

The boy had been talking to the chubby boy, Longbottom. Neville looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the center of attention. While the red head boy who had practically screamed out his distaste for Slytherins, which statistically speaking would be a quarter of the arriving first years. He just made enemies out of a quarter of the current first year students just from a single line, spoken out of turn.

Harry did not know whether that was foolish bravery, arrogantly conceited or plain stupidity. It was probably the latter as the boy still had not realized he had every pair of eyes in the room trained on him and a quarter of which was glaring at him. It was quite impressive really, to make so many enemies so quickly with only a single sentence.

No one had said anything, not wishing to attract the unwanted attention upon themselves. However, Draco could no longer stand the absence of any defense for the noble and elite house that was Slytherin. He stalked towards the boy, lightly shoving away those in between them. Draco stepped towards the boy, and glowered upon the boy.

"And who gave you the right to say that about Slytherin. Those hand-me-down robes, tattered shoes, dirt smudged cheeks, and an overall underwhelming presence, you must be a _Weasley_." Draco spat out the last word with as much disdain as the boy had with Slytherin. "With naught but a dozen galleons in your vault, pathetic family relations with other Houses and massive debts to said Houses. Only one word can be said of the most miserable and deplorable House of _Weasley._ Pathetic!"

The Weasley boy growled and was prepared to launch a fist at Draco. He had not understood a few of the words this boy had said, but knew that it couldn't have been a compliment. The still small and undeveloped fist flew through the air but was pushed down easily. The hand then laid an iron grip on Weasley's wrist, enough to cause discomfort.

The red head boy looked down at the hand gripping his wrist and turned to face eyes of emerald green. 'Green fire...' The boy wondered before realizing he was looking at another boy.

"Calm down..." The boy, a head with straight hair of raven black, quietly said, but with more authority than anyone their age possessed. It was merely two words, but the Weasley couldn't help but feel at ease and also slightly intimidated at the commanding tone his voice carried.

When Harry had heard what Draco said, he knew some trouble was going to arise, even if the red headed boy did not seem to understand what had been said about his family. Following the opening Draco had already paved through, Harry approached the boy and quickly stepped between the two and brought Weasley's hand down before any trouble could start.

When he felt the boy's fist loosen, Harry slowly began to release his grip as well. The Weasley pulled back his arm and took a step back, the lack of space between them was slightly uncomfortable.

Harry gripped the boy's shoulder and urged him to follow. The Weasley was unsure of what to do, but complied anyways.

"Harry-" Draco started but was interrupted when Harry turned back and shook his head briskly. The Malfoy heir was about to follow but stopped when Harry raised a hand to stop him.

The two then passed through the crowd and rested themselves against the wall. The boy stared at Harry, "Why did you stop me? He deserved what was coming to him." He was still slightly loud, but absent of the volume he had before.

Harry looked around before turning back to him. "Look, you can't just raise a fist at anyone here, alright? This isn't home anymore, you can't just hit someone and expect an apology will be able to fix things. This is Hogwarts, and like the Professor said, any and all altercations between students are to be an intellectual debate or risk severe punishment. Did you not understand her word?"

The boy looked put out, "I don't care! That guy was a Malfoy, one of the dark families. The Professor would have rewarded me for socking him in the face. Why are you helping him anyways, you a slimy _S__lytherin_ too?"

Harry mentally glared at the boy, first for his utter stupid naivety and second for calling him slimy, but he only sighed externally. "That's exactly my point. That guy, as you called him, is a Malfoy. One of the richest Houses in the Wizarding World. Did you really think that punching him would not only reward you, but would have absolutely no consequences at all? None? Against the heir of a House with a billion galleon net worth?"

The boy looked unsure, "Well, I might have had to endure a howler from my mum, but that would be 'bout it."

Harry was about to curse in frustration at the blatant idiocy of the boy in front of him. Did he have no idea how noble Houses worked? How severe would the consequences be if he had attacked the heir of a Most Noble and Ancient House outside of an official duel, and in front of dozens of witnesses? He thought he was going to be rewarded? He would be, but with a lawsuit wrapped up in a nice pink bow tie, which he would of course stand absolutely no chance in winning, losing every last of the 'dozen galleon' in his family's vault.

"Look, even if you're right, why risk it? And especially right before the Sorting Ceremony where you will be judged on your appearance and aptitude. You have to cool that fiery temper of yours down here, or you're going to start losing points from your House and guild. Alright?"

The Weasley did not look happy, but shrugged in agreement.

Harry nodded in finality. "Good. What's your name?"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, but you can just call me Ron." The boy seemed proud that he could remember his own name, but Harry did not comment on it.

"Alright Ron. Clean yourself up, don't let them see that you in that crumpled up manner. Here, let me help. **Delavo!**" The shimmering gold spell struck Ron's old worn out robes and vanished the stains and water marks.

Ron looked down at his now clean robes and shirt, smiled "Wow, it feels like Mom just did laundry. Thanks!"

Harry returned the smile, "Adjust your robes, you look ragged. I'm returning to my friends now, kay?" Ron nodded before he started straightening the creases on his shirt. He was going to ask for the raven haired boy's name but he was gone before Ron could say anything.

When Harry began making his way through the crowd, he could feel many eyes on him, especially the girls who sighed dreamily when they saw Harry glanced at them. He was gathering attention, which could be seen as both a boon or a loss. One, he could potentially lose friends who did not like what they had seen, which was unlikely as he had stopped a fight and unless they worshipped chaos, he wasn't in any particular person's hate list. On another hand the attention he was receiving could significantly improve his still non-existent reputation. That would attract some people to him because of his fame.

Harry returned to the group and received odd looks from Draco and Blaise, though the girl didn't seemed to have cared very much about the event. "What was that?" Draco asked, gazing fixedly at him. Blaise seemed to have the same thoughts, though his was more of a questioning stare.

"I presume you're inquiring about my intervention in your supposed duel." Harry asked with a slightly cold tone. He did not enjoy being the victim in this inquisition.

"Yes! Why did you stop him, I could've taken him easily. And why did you go off with him after? Did you make some sort of a secret pact I'm not aware of?" Draco was almost shouting, but they were far enough from the others that they weren't overheard.

Harry looked at him in the eye. "I know, I saw your hand on your wand. With the knowledge that you had practiced spells during the one month and your heightened emotions, an unfortunate accident might have occurred because of your emotionally invoked response. Do you really want to be _severely_ _punished_ on the first day of school, and not even in a House or Guild yet?"

Draco snorted. "He was the one who initiated the dispute. If he threw the first punch, then I would've been well within my rights to defend myself. However, you intervened. You defended me when I could've done so myself. You made me look weak in front of them, you-"

"I made you look in control! If you had been the one who initiated a physical confrontation, I would have stopped you as well. Do not forget who you are, _never_ forget who you are. You're a person born of nobility, close to royalty. Rough-housing with a _plebeian_ is unseemly of one of noble birth. You're here as the representation of your noble House. What you want, what your selfish ego desires does not decide what you do. What will most benefit you, and in turn, your noble House is what you act upon."

Draco looked away, slightly embarrassed yet aggravated as he realized Harry was right. "I... I never considered that. Sorry."

Harry nodded, putting a comforting and reassured him. "Listen, I know you were just defending the Slytherin House, but don't forget that in 7 years, the people around you will be entering society alongside you. Remember what their impressions of you will be. In the future, please refrain from attempting any rash or impulsive behavior before consulting your friends."

Draco nodded, "Yeah, I know." He felt really lousy right now, knowing that what Harry did probably saved his reputation before he even began school. Coupled with the knowledge now that he might have screwed up big time had Harry not intervened, the feeling was well deserved, Draco thought.

Blaise, now understanding why Harry did what he had done, gave him a nod in acknowledgement. He had not been wrong about the boy, now he knew for almost certainty that Potter was more than just a famous face. The girls all agreed in understanding inside, they now learned even more about the object of their affection.

Harry lied. Not entirely, but half truths aren't really any better than complete lies. He had exaggerated the consequences of Draco's actions. It wouldn't really matter to the other children how Draco would have responded to Ron's attack. From what Harry observed, most of them seemed to have either not noticed what happened due to their nerves and apprehension or didn't really care about the 'victor' of their little spat.

Of course, they would have formed a bad impression on both of them regardless of the result if they had fought, but it would not have lasted all 7 years of Hogwarts, and certainly not after their graduation and entry into adulthood. They would have too much to worry about during and after, their OWLs, their NEWTs, career opportunities, marriage opportunities, to remember a small confrontation between two boys when they were eleven. And it wasn't a bad suggestion for Draco to act in the benefit of his House either.

"Attention, students!" A sharp voice said. Professor McGonagall had returned. "Move along now, The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. And let me remind you again, what impression the older students form of you will stay with you until they graduate." It had sounded similar to what Harry had said, which only cemented Draco's belief in Harry's words.

"Form a line and follow me." Professor McGonagall told the first years and lead them out of the chamber. They marched in unison, none of the excited chatter remained, only feet of lead and the few strands of courage they still had continued to move them. It was a nervous period in all first years life, for certain. To be told where and who they were going to be spending the next seven years with was stressful to say the least for most of them.

They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and stopped in front of heavy double doors into the Great Hall. Harry could not help but notice that the noise that had emanated from within was gone. With another wave of her wand, the doors swung open smoothly with only a slight creak in the aged mahogany.

It was not the thousands and thousands of candles that floated in the air that caught Harry's attention first. Nor was it the velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. The four long tables with gold plates and goblets was not what he first noticed either. The first thing that caught Harry's and everyone else's attention were pair of eyes a little over 600 staring right at them. Judging them, profiling them, examining each and every strand of hair on their heads.

In utter silence except for the sound of the first years scuffing towards a four legged stool with a pointed wizard's hat on it, standing in a crowded, compressed group for either comfort or a sense of security.

Hundred's of theories ran through their heads, though not a single word was spoken. The silence in the Hall was suffocating to some of them, while others looked upon the judging students with their heads up high and confidence exuding. Already, whispers and hushed words were traded among the older students.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. After which, you shall proceed to your House table which can be identified by the colors of the table cloth : red for Gryffindor, blue for Ravenclaw, yellow for Hufflepuff and green for Slytherin." Professor McGonagall said as she unrolled a long roll of parchment. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A fair skinned girl with a blonde pony tail walked softly towards the stool. The whispers and murmurs started again, the older students critiquing her already, be it her posture or her foot steps. However, there was no clear decisive judgement yet.

She put on the hat and sat on the stool to be sorted. After a few moments pause, 30 seconds or so, the rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The second table from the right broke the silence with polite applause as Hannah returned the Hat to the stool and went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry could see the students in the House studying her, though some began to warmly welcome her.

"Bones, Susan!"

Susan turned to Harry with slight uneasiness apparent in her eyes. He took her hand in his own and have it a light squeeze in comfort. The act seemed to have helped her quite a bit as the apprehension instantly disappeared and she walked towards the Hat confidently. Those in the student body who recognized the name Bones, started to discuss fervently among themselves.

The girl picked up the hat and placed it on her head before sitting on the stool. A moment passed by and a look of hesitation appeared on Susan's face before the Hat yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

As boring as the sorting was to Harry, he did not tune them out as some had done. It was crucial to pay attention now, in order to know whether anyone of any importance went which house. Besides, he didn't know the name of most of the first year students here, it would be useful to recognize a face with a name in the future if he encountered them. Both Tracy and Daphne had been placed in Slytherin, that was interesting.

The girl who had taken Susan's place beside him wasn't paying attention, though. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in **Hogwarts, A History**." Harry wasn't sure if she had been talking to him or herself until she looked at him, awaiting for a response. The girl had slightly bushy hair that looked to have been attempted to be straightened with minimal results. She had a pretty smile, Harry had noticed when she turned to him. Though not the bell of the ball, Harry was certain the girl would be gorgeous in the future.

"Is that so?" Harry asked, feigning interest out of courtesy, though he still split his attention to focus on the sorting. The girl had slightly bushy hair that looked to have been attempted to be straightened with minimal results. She had a pretty smile, Harry had noticed when she turned to him. Though not the bell of the ball, Harry was certain the girl would be gorgeous in the future. **(1)**

"Yes, it is said that the mimicry of the sky outside is so exact that, at first glance, one would believe that there is no ceiling at all, and that the hall simply opens upon the heavens." She recited from memory, alternating between staring in wonder at the star filled ceiling and Harry's emerald orbs.

"Granger, Hermione!"

The girl beside him begin to move. Harry wished her good luck as she turned back and sent a pleasant smile. The students did not seem impressed when, the now identified, Hermione walked towards the stool, despite the cool assurance she seemed to have. They probably did not recognize the Granger name and realized that Hermione was muggleborn. Harry had come to that conclusion herself.

When the hat had been worn, Hermione looked to be contemplating her choices. Harry had noticed that for some people like a Finch-Fletchley Justin, they were instantly sorted the moment the hat touched their heads. However, for others it took a moment or two. Harry presumed that how ever the Hat sorted them, if a person possessed two or more of the different requirements in joining a House, they would either be given a choice or the Hat would take the more obvious attribute and sort him/her to the House.

After a minute, the Hat finally stirred and shouted out "RAVENCLAW!" Polite applause once again welcomed the latest addition to the Ravenclaw House, as did all of the other sorted first-years.

Neville Longbottom had been sorted to Gryffindor, then Draco was called out. Most of the students recognized the Malfoy name and had mixed reactions. Those who were allied with the Most Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy obviously wanted him to join them, namely the Slytherins, while Light families had frowns of disapproval.

The instant the hat touched Draco's platinum blonde hair that shined obnoxiously under the brilliant fiery glow from the candles, it shouted out "SLYTHERIN!" Draco seemed rather proud of himself to be sorted into Slytherin almost instantly, but was that really a compliment? To be lacking in whatever other requirements to join other Houses didn't seem to be a good thing.

There weren't many people left now. Around fifty had already been sorted, and since they were being called out by alphabetical order, only N, stood between M and P. Eleven of them were sorted, 3 Ravenclaws, 3 Slytherins, 2 Gryffindors and 3 Hufflepuffs. It seemed that statistically the sorting was equal, around 25 percent of the first year students so far was sorted to each house.

And of course, finally, "Potter, Harry!" Immediately, loud whispers erupted from both the older and youngest students. Everywhere his name, Harry Potter, broke out in whispers like little hissing fires all over the hall.

Not waiting for the murmurs to die down, Harry stepped out of the dwindling group of first year students, head held high and confident. His strode with conviction towards the stool. When he identified himself by walking out, the students had gotten even louder. Harry even heard numerous gasps in surprise from behind him upon realization that the boy who had stopped the fight earlier was _the_ Harry Potter. Rob Weasley was the most audible as he had loudly exclaimed "_He's_ Harry Potter!?"

As Harry approached the stool and picked up the Hat, he could see everyone in the Hall, craning their necks to take a look at him. He slightly brushed the hair that was concealing his scar casually, as if he had only subconsciously did the action. The sight of the faint lightning bolt scar did not serve to quieten down the rising racket.

Harry sat down on the chair and prepared to placed the Hat on his head. Despite the cold, aloof expression he was giving off, he was in fact in quite a turmoil as any 11 year old would be in this situation. Of course imagined scenarios where he was not sorted anywhere and told to leave ran through his mind. It was only natural for the emotional half of his mind to be worried about being cast away by whom he had thought he belonged with.

The moment he put on the hat, a small voice in his mind spoke aloud. **"Hmm, what do we have here? A Potter? The**_** last **_**Potter, even. Let's see what you have..." **This was it, this was what sorted them? A voice in their head that might not even have the qualification to be an adequate fashion accessory, much less sort him.

"**I assure you, I'm quite qualified to sort students. In fact, I've been doing so since the founding of the Hogwarts." **

The Hat could read his mind, then? Intriguing, an object that could bypass any mental inhibitions of a person to read his thoughts and perhaps memories to sort them. Such a device would be the perfect interrogation tool if used for such purposes.

"**I'm afraid I was not created for such a purpose, Mr. Potter. You see, I'm an enchanted hat that has survived for thousand years, through no large effort of my own. When an enchanted item such as myself is created, a _purpose_ is weaved within the magics that enchants the item. The _idea_, the _objective_ implanted into an enchanted item is what directs the magic in it. The simpler the _purpose_, the longer lasting and stronger the item is. I was created with only a single _purpose_, to sort the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For any other purposes, I would just be an ordinary hat." **

Pity...

"**Yes, quite so. Now, let's see here... Oh, of course, intelligence and a great deal of it too... a thirst for knowledge, a very dangerous thirst as well. However, the thirst for knowledge is only to pursue and fulfill your hunger for power. You believe in 'Knowledge is Power', yes? **

**You're loyal, although to no one but yourself. Not too hardworking either, it seems. Willing to work towards your own goal, no matter how much the effort, but no more and no less. You treat everyone with fairness and equality, however to you everyone else is inferior and thus equal to everyone else but yourself. **

**Courageous, but only if what you treasured was at stake, which is of course yourself. Not particularly brave unless it suits your needs either. Not a big fan of chivalry either, prefers to help others in return for a price. Particularly gutsy if the price was worth it, however. **

**Very cunning, yes... very Slythrin. Ambitious too. However, to what ends will you go to do accomplish your goals? You have inhibitions as well, morality to pull you back, do you not? I doubt it, you believe in 'The ends justify the means.' You're resourceful, no doubt, willing to use anything in your arsenal to achieve your ends.**

**Very difficult..."**

'Do I have a say in this?'

"**Not really, but you are welcome to try and persuade me to grant you your preferred choice."**

Harry smirked inwardly. 'How about...'

"**That seems reasonable. Fitting, really. Doesn't really matter to me one way or another." **

Harry's sorting had been the longest thus far. It was bordering on five minutes. The students looked surprised though the teachers did not seem at all bothered. Five minutes was still not the longest in history. The longest Albus Dumbledore remembered was in the 1940s. A boy, whose name he couldn't recall now, took a whopping 23 minutes before the Hat had finally announced the house, much to the relief of the students and staff.

"**It can only be..."**

* * *

**(1) Hermione Granger in my story is going to look like Emma Watson in the future. Yeah, she's going to be fucking gorgeous. **

**And boom, cliffhanger. But not really, I'm just not sure where to put Harry! Gryffindor is a valid option, though it can be up for negotiation. I don't want Harry to lose his friends that went to Slytherin, and frankly the only romantic interest in Gryffindor would be Parvati Patil or Lavender Brown. Neither of which I really see being with Harry other than occasional shags. **

**Hufflepuff would be hard to write about, Harry won't be able to garner the necessary respect in a House where loyalty and diligence is the attribute necessary to join it. Of course he cold gather loyal followers in the House of the loyal. And also two romantic partners, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot are in Hufflepuff. **

**Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the houses I'm considering the most. Harry has a more than required intelligence and thirst for knowledge. Hermione is also in Ravenclaw, so a prospective romantic interest there. Cho Chang and Luna are also 'Claws too... It would be easier to write for Harry to acquire the knowledge he seeks as a Ravenclaw as well. Since it won't have as much shadowy deceit and shady machinations as in Slytherin. Harry can focus more on accumulating his magical knowledge. **

**Slytherin however, is a house the most intriguing and most difficult to write about. Not everyone of them are backstabbing traitor, yet not everyone of them aren't. A Slytherin Harry will be hard pressed to retain his friends in the three other houses as well. Tracy and Daphne are in Slytherin though. There will be much more of political intrigue and 'behind-the-scenes' action in Hogwarts if Harry joins Slytherin too. **

**I really don't know what to do! So please, tell me what to do! Give me your choice of House and why. **

**Anyways, what do you think about the Guild system? I'm not really too sure about it. I took bits and pieces from different stories and thought "meh, what the hell" and just tossed it in. Well, I didn't just randomly decide to do this for fun, I've plans for it. I won't mention it much if _nobody_ likes it, but if a positive feedback is seen then I will have much more fun writing this story with the guild system in place. If you're confused this is a more detailed explanation. A guild is basically a group students can join, their House loyalties do not affect guild placement unless the guild leader doesn't like a specific House. The student is basically loyal to two different groups : Their house and their guild. The points they earn will go to both House and Guild.  
**

Love it, Hate it, Review it. Any advice and tips are welcomed. Think of me as a brain dead idiot in regards to writing Harry Potter fanfiction, or any fanfiction really. Please review if you have any suggestions or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Sorry if this chapter seemed short, but I couldn't write anymore if I have yet to decide where to put Harry. :(

_Seriously ,Review. _

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter) _


	6. It can only be RAVENCLAW

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter nor anything else I may have used.

Author's notes : I'm fervently studying for exams right now, yet I just couldn't take my mind off this story. Please take note, future chapters will become less frequent and further apart as I really do need to start studying day and night, literally. After my exams are over, I have to get a part-time job as well during the two month vacation, cause... you know, my family is poor. Since my older brother is currently the sole breadwinner in my household, I have to pick up the slack as well. Next year, I will be entering Junior year (I'm 17 next year) and will be even busier than this year. During the next 5 – 6 weeks, don't expect any new chapters after this. When I'm working (during the week days), I might have the time to write a few more chapters during the weekends.

Also, I have considered everyone's choices for Harry's House and the arguments made were very compelling. I want to thank everyone for giving your choices of House and also your reasons, I really appreciate the time taken to think through your reasons. Harry's House has been decided due to believable and compelling reasons, and also by popular demand. I'd also like to thank those who gave me tips and advice, they will be put to good use to further better this story.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"**It can only be... **RAVENCLAW!"

A shocked silence filled the Great Hall for a moment, before a loud applause and some cheering broke the silence from the usually stoic and quiet Ravenclaw table. The other houses looked slightly sullen at not receiving Harry Potter, but politely clapped anyways.

When Harry placed the Hat back on the stool, he could swear he saw the old, leathery, sentient, pointy, hat flash a smug sneer at him. As Harry walked towards the table decorated with a blue and bronze table cloth, he noticed that the student's reaction to his sorting was slightly more boisterous compared to the other students'. The other Houses were clapping for him, when they had been staring and appraising their 'competition' for the others.

As Harry approached the Ravenclaw table, he saw a few familiar faces that he had seen on the trek to the castle. The older Ravenclaw students all smiled brilliantly at him, as did Hermione who was gesturing towards the seat between her and a second year student. There were plenty of other seats open, but Harry did not want to appear rude to turn down such an open invitation.

No one stood up to shake his hand or anything like that, but Harry could see the hundreds of pairs of eyes still glued to him. People straightened up to get a better view of him, but Harry ignored the stares and whispers.

When Harry took his seat, the sorting continued.

"Arstan Pyle!" A brown haired boy with obsidian black eyes came forth to be sorted. After a moment or two, "GRYFFINDOR!" was announced. The rest of the sorting seemed lackluster compared to his own. A few notable names, but not anything outstanding. The older students' reactions and welcomes became drab and muted after his own sorting.

The fifty students after Harry all had a rather equal placement in each House. A few new Ravenclaw first years joined the table, each were anxious to meet Harry Potter, only to be disappointed when they found Harry without any empty seats around him. Ron was placed in Gryffindor who was greeted by his brothers before he had shot Harry a glance. Blaise was the last to be sorted and was sent to Slytherin. He had silently slid in to his seat, not before Harry notice Blaise giving him a queer look.

The podium where the hundred or so first year students had stood was now empty and Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. The Hall was once again filled with whispers, where the older students had started conversing amongst themselves, discussing the new batch of students.

The first year students were all silently looking at their plates or at each other, still too anxious to open their mouths. Some of them were afraid that being sent away was still a danger they faced. Harry was observing the Ravenclaw house, however. A few of the older students, Harry could recognize, surprisingly.

A tall sixth or seventh year student was speaking to his friends. His silvery-gold hair and gleaming yet piercing violet eyes was easily recognizable. He must have belonged to the Most Noble and Ancient house of Targaryen. Their sigil, a red three headed black dragon on a shield of black. Their words : _Sanguis Draconis_, Blood of the Dragon.

Albus Dumbledore stood up, the conversations ceased instantly. The students held great respect for the warlock, even most of the Slytherins. A legendary wizard who defeated the dark lord Grindelwald and named as the strongest wizard of his generation, Albus Dumbledore was a man both feared and adhered.

He raised a hand and swept across the students, "Welcome to a new year of Hogwarts! To those who have just joined us this year, I hope you have found Hogwarts to your liking so far. If so, I shall correct that soon enough." The students laughed, and so did Harry to follow the non optional social obligation of responding to an attempted joke. "It gives me great satisfaction to see all of you back together in one roof, and it does an old man's heart good to see your smiling faces." Those who weren't smiling, did and Harry noticed how Dumbledore's words were able to affect them so.

"Thank you, and now let the feast begin!" As Albus took his seat, food piled up on the dishes in front of him. Harry had honestly never seen so much food on one table, and all of them looked appetizing. The orphanage never really had a surplus of food. The meals given were humble and sufficient, usually containing potatoes or rice, peas, various veggies and occasionally some fish or meat. One serving dish on the table in Hogwarts, however, was piled up high with pork chops and another was stacked with small suckling pigs, skin seared and crackling with a different fruit in each mouth.

Harry was slightly apprehensive of taking any food. He was still unaware of pureblood dining courtesies and was worried any actions he took might be seen as uncultivated. He once again glanced towards the Targaryen, but saw him eating like Harry always have. Without worries, Harry plunged a fork into an enticing suckling pig and brought it on to his plate. His knife sliced into the juicy, succulent flesh. He took a slice of meat and roasted skin in to his mouth, and the flesh melted within its confines.

He shrugged in appreciation, noting the excellent quality of the food in Hogwarts, but mentally taking note not to eat too much if he intended to follow the exercise regime in the American battle manual. Harry noticed a few of the less... civilized first year students wolfing down platters of sausages and bacons, musing whether orphans were fed more than those residing in more fortunate homes.

His meal was interrupted when the second year student next to him spoke up.

"How are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?"

Harry turned to him and swallowed what he had in his mouth. Taking a napkin, he wiped off the grease and juice from the pig. "It has been more than what I expected, much more intense." Harry replied honestly. Truthful to a certain extent, of course.

The boy nodded smiling, "I know what you mean. I thought so too when I first arrived. The older students scrutinizing your every move, it was slightly suffocating to those unprepared. You looked fine, though." His azure eyes was uniquely like his own, a blazing blue fire that shined. The boy had auburn brown hair that reflected the luminescent glow from the candles above.

"Thank you. May I have the name of whom I'm talking to?" Harry asked, and extended a hand towards the second-year student.

The boy took it and gave it a firm shake. "Harlan Grandison, pleased to make Harry Potter's acquaintance." Harry's thought back to _Pure Blood Culture & Traditions, _and recalled the House Grandison. Their sigil, a black sleeping lion on a yellow shield, their words : _Excitet Me Non, _Rouse Me Not.

"Like wise." Harry supplied when they pulled back their arms. Harry then realized Harlan was a good source of information. "Could you tell me more about Hogwarts, actually, more specifically the Guilds?"

Grandison nodded, not finding any qualms in that. "What do you want to know?"

"Why were guilds created and which ones to look out for."

Harlan smiled and took on a pondering look. "Guild were first created in the 18th century, when the feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin was at an all time high. By then, Hogwarts was on the brink of an internal student riot, with both Houses threatening ready to send curses into each other's midsts. The Headmaster at that time was tired of the constant quarrels and he himself was ready to send curses in to them. The staff was looking for a way to bond the students of Hogwarts together, without having to resort to more drastic measures."

"Several methods was attempted and failed, like school clubs or a Hogwarts common room. However none of these succeeded as students still fought against each other, merely at different locations. Dueling clubs to relieve their frustrations ended in several students sent to the hospital and mixed study groups found themselves testing new spells on each other."

"During that time, a group of students with a combination of students from different houses stood out over the rest. They were the best of friends, helping and caring for each other. To differentiate themselves and also to declare neutrality in the ongoing conflict, they named themselves Storm. Each of the members of Storm was magically powerful and thus not many were willing to implicate them in their arguments, in fear of bringing the entire wrath of Storm against themselves and their House."

"The Headmaster witnessed this and had an epiphany. The members of Storm were able to befriend those of different houses and did not risk violence breaking out due to their unity under a single name. If every student could unite in different groups, all with a different mix of Houses, bigotry and fights would cease. But without incentives, the students were never surrender their pride to befriend those they had hated merely a day before. Thus, the guilds system was invented."

"Prizes were awarded to those who worked hard and earned points for their house and guild, while disgrace and humiliation to those unable to look past their differences and form a competent guild with others. That was also when Hogwarts became a more academically focused school, students began to take the initiative to study and read up on future topics in order to earn points for their Guilds."

"Guilds became a symbol for social status and determined the students hierarchy. The higher your guild's rank, the higher your social standing. At first, the guild system was not as effective as the headmaster had envisioned, however after 5 years when the older students at that time had graduated, the younger and newer students took their place and the Guilds system flourished. The capability and competency of students became a much higher priority."

"Nobles and lordlings could no longer rely on their family name alone to carry them through Hogwarts. In terms of Guild recruitment and their desirability, even the purest blooded wizard was equal to the one with the dirtiest blood. Well, for most of the guilds anyways. Some still remains fixated on the purity of blood or nobility of lineage to join, though those never do prosper in Hogwarts."

While the boy explained how Guilds came about, Harry listened with concentration. His eyes did wander to other events of importance though he could still focus on Harlan. Harry had contemplated his words, realizing now how important Guild really were in Hogwarts. Within Hogwarts, the banners and names of their guild was what represented them and if one belonged to a respected and high ranked guild, one was similarly respected.

Harry's first priority was to of course join a high ranking guild, preferably above the 25th percentile. Though there would be obstacles, and the chance of him joining one before second or third year was close to nil. He already had quite a bit of influence since he is the boy-who-lived and what not, but Hogwarts was more academically focused than Harry had expected and ability takes precedence over your family name, as Harlan had said.

Of course, a wealthy House like the Potter was sure to gain some attention and interest, Harry still wouldn't be recruited if he doesn't display adequate skill and knowledge required. Which was why it was so important to create friendships and ties as soon as he could. Settling the dispute between Ron and Draco had been a step forward towards the eventual alliance with both of them. Sure, he would much prefer to keep to himself and not associate with the childishness and immaturity of eleven year old children, but the opportunity to shape their young minds to his liking was too great to pass up. They were young, easily influenced and easily molded. All he had to do was play the part of close friend, confidante and source of wisdom, he would easily gain their trust and loyalty.

He had noticed something of peculiar interest as well. The current generation in Hogwarts contained a large number of purebloods and halfbloods from noble houses. Amongst the first years that had been sorted, he recognized many names : Hayford, Thorne, Chyttering and Wendwater was only a few. Harry was certain that there was surely many from Noble houses within the older students as well. He had recognized the silvery-gold of Targaryen, for example. And even the sandy blonde hair and unmistakably unique yellowish gold eyes of Santagar. Both most noble and ancient Houses.

They will surely be useful in the future as allies. However, their noble lineage causes troubles as well. They will be prideful, and no matter how strong or smart Harry was, they would not stand to stand before Harry as an equal. First, he would need to net the small fishes. After gathering a more impressive collection, he would then proceed to fish for the big fishes, those from most noble and ancient Houses.

Harlan continued, "If you want to know which houses to look out for, there would be a few, according to last year anyways. Last year, there were three guilds contending for the spot of number one. The one who eventually clinched the Guilds Cup was The Blood Oath." He gestured to the Slytherin table, where a man of crimson red hair and eyes of orange ice sat, conversing in hushed tones with another on his right. He had a stony face with unchanging expressions. "That's Waldon Wynch, guild leader of The Blood Oath. Not many dare risk his ire in Hogwarts."

"The second in place, and by a close margin, was The Golden Company." Harlan pointed to the Grynffidor table, a man with shoulder length hair of gold and bright green eyes, he had a tall frame complemented with comely features. Girls looked at him similar to how they looked at Harry. "That's Jaime Durrendon, guild leader of The Golden Company, and as you can see, quite fitting. A smile that cuts like a knife, they say, though his skill with a wand cannot be matched in Hogwarts." The man flashed a charming smile at Harry after noticing his look, who responded with a polite nod.

"The third was Titans." This time, Harlan gestured far down the Ravenclaw table, where a bespectacled man with soft black hair that slightly covered his eyes and silver-grey eyes hidden behind his glasses sat. A book in his hand, he seemed to have little interest in the food in front of him, though a fork magically levitated in the air and occasionally brought cubes of mutton to him and fed him. "That's Gawain Mallister, who has received High Distinctions in half of his OWLs, that means he is in the top 1 percent of the entirety of Europe. The pride and joy of Ravenclaw, he is."

Harry recognized all of their House names.

Noble House of Wynch. Their sigil, a bloody moon on a purple shield. Their words were : _Sub Lunae Lecem_, Under The Moonlight.

Noble House of Durrendon. Their sigil, a golden wyvern within a double red tressure on black. Their words : _Aurum In Proelio_, Gold In Battle.

Noble House of Mallister. Their sigil, an eagle made of iron and steel displayed argent on purple. Their words : _Iustus In Ira, _Righteous In Wrath.

Harry turned to Harlan, "And what guild were you in?"

Harlan smiled sheepishly "I am in a guild near the bottom few. A second year student without exceptional ability and talent can't hope to join any impressive guilds until fourth year at least. My guild leader is Uthor Tollet, a half-blood from a minor Household. Not very impressive, though he thinks of himself pretty highly. Well, I guess he does have a right to, creating a Guild or becoming guild leader takes a lot of effort."

Interested, Harry took on a quizzical look, "How does one go about creating a guild or becoming a guild leader?", he asked before sipping pumpkin juice from his goblet.

"Well, a student can form a guild by registering with Headmaster Dumbledore with 5 or more students. However, I strongly recommend not to do it."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Harry prompted him to continue. "Why?"

"The Guilds that already exists currently all goes back at least half a decade. Titans for example, has a history that dates back to the 18th century. The Blood Oath is from the 19th. Usually, a new guild created is not very successful and the members of the new guild are ostracized as the students believe they are trying to usurp the old guilds.

"Next, to become a guild leader has a few methods. First, if the current guild leader is incompetent or useless, a member of the guild can challenge him a Trial by Combat. A duel, in layman's term. If the guild leader loses, he will then forcefully surrender his leadership and the guild leader seat is then open. Usually elections and votes takes place to decide the next guild leader, however some guilds have their own method be it a dueling tournament or a ritual."

"Another way to become guild leader is to be chosen by the graduating leader. When a 7th year guild leader is graduating from Hogwarts, he has a right to choose a member of the guild to become the next guild leader. Guild leadership is very important, despite what you might think. The guild leader single handedly approves of new recruits as well as being the one who nominates a person which he does not approve of for expulsion. When a guild member is nominated for expulsion, they are brought forward to the entire guild and be judged. If found guilty of whatever reasons, they are expelled from the Guild. Then he will have 1 month to look for another guild that will accept him."

Nodding in understanding, Harry thanked him and turned to his fellow first year students who had started talking among themselves. They were introducing themselves.

There was a silence after a boy introduced himself, Aaron Wilkinson, a muggleborn boy whose name Harry did not recognize. Seeing a chance, Harry took the initiative. "I'm Harry Potter, scion of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter. Halfblood." His parentage was not really a secret, seeing how his House had detailed information of his birth. The first years all looked in slight awe, except for muggleborns who did not bother to read up on recent history and hence did not recognize his name.

Hermione followed in his stead and spoke, "I'm Hermione Granger, muggleborn." She looked curious, however, "What do you mean scion of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, though understood why she asked. She must not have known that the Wizarding World had noble Houses and aristocrats. He could see that a few of the muggleborns had a similar questioning look too. "Well, unlike the muggle world, the Wizarding world contains a class belonging to the upper echelons of society, Nobles. Nobility of a house or family is determined centuries ago, when the Wizarding world was first established."

"Founding Houses like Bones, Longbottom or my own House Potter resides at the top this elite society of nobles and aristocrats. Because we were the first families to have lived in the then newly created Wizarding world, these Houses took on the titles of Nobles and was later on termed as Founding Houses who literally founded the magical society we have today."

"Afterwards, when more people with pure wizards blood started to join and made a name for themselves, they along with my ancestors built up the wizarding world. These group of people and their families are later known as Most Noble and Ancient Houses, due to their noble and old lineage. Eventually, families that started to join stopped becoming Most Noble and Ancient Houses, but became mere Noble Houses instead."

"Which is why, descendants of Noble families, either most Noble houses or not, introduce themselves by stating their House, therefore stating their loyalties. All Noble Houses have their own banners. Their sigils, a symbol that represents their House, and their words, a small phrase that is their motto. For example, the sigil of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter is a golden griffin with a lion on both sides on a shield of red and black. Our words are _Familia, Officio, Fidei _meaning Family, Duty, Honor in latin from the matriarchal side and _Ignis Et Sanguinem, Nostra Est Furor_ meaning Fire And Blood, Ours Is The Fury in latin on the patriarchal side."

The muggleborns students looked on with understanding, and even a few pureblood and half blood students looked impressed with Harry's explanation. One muggleborn student was not satisfied, however, "Cathleen Walker, muggleborn." She supplied before continuing, "Does being a pureblood or a noble have many advantages? And if so, doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

Harry faked a pondering expression, though he rolled his eyes internally at the question. "Well, of course they will. In addition to the vast amounts of wealth their ancestors have earned over the years, as well as the respect and nobility their names gives them, pureblooded nobles enjoy many privileges such as a seat in the Wizengamot, and even the extensive influence their lineage gives them."

"Is it unfair? Sure it is. However, you have to first realize, that life is rarely fair. Even so, we nobles have become a permanent structure within this society. Noble Houses have been the pillar of the Wizarding World for centuries, and will be for many more."

The girl looked downcast, but accepted his explanation. Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming slightly tenser than he'd like, Harry gestured to the next person to introduce themselves.

"Nymella Toland, scion of the Noble House of Toland. Pureblood." A girl introduced herself, she had sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Harry recognized the House of Toland, their sigil, a green scaled Ouroboros on a yellow circle. Their words, _Interminabilis Circulus_, The Unending Cycle.

When everyone had finished with their meals, the remains of the food vanished from their plates, and the dirtied platters were replaced with clean, polished ones. A moment later, desserts appeared on the plates : pies, tarts, ice cream and doughnuts. None of them could looked less appealing to Harry, who was probably the only child there who were looking at the sugary desserts with distaste.

The rest of the first years introduced themselves, and so did a few second year students who overheard them. A few noteworthy names, Harry mused as he memorized each and every name and their faces, it might be useful in the future. A few of the students were discussing their lessons as well before Harry was pulled from his musings by Hermione, who was talking to him for awhile now.

"I first found out that I could do magic when I was 10 years old. Things suddenly moved when I was upset or angry, and once a vase cracked when I was crying. My parents thought something was very wrong with me and was about to consult a professional before the letter arrived. I was delighted to learn that there was a school filled with people who could perform magic like me." She paused and turned to him, "Did you do any magic before coming to Hogwarts?"

Harry considered lying and telling her no, to avoid attention from him. However, that might prove a wrong decision because as an heir of a Most Noble House like Potter, he was expected to be an elite, in everything he did, even accidental magic. Furthermore, this was a chance to show off his abilities, if moving things was all Hermione could do when she was 10, and uncontrolled too, his capabilities was sure to impress.

"I found out I could do many things when I was a mere toddler. Things unique to me. Moving things..." Harry raised a hand and the goblet on his table floated up, inciting a gasp from Hermione and those around him. The liquid in it streamed upwards, out of the cup and swirled in the air in front of Harry. "... or make things burn." The goblet and the liquid spontaneously combusted in to flames.

Harry's eyes were unwavering, a cold stare that glowed power fixed on to the goblet. Waving a hand dismissively, the fire disappeared, leaving a burnt goblet with black scorch marks on it. The goblet rested on the table again, and the liquid flowed back into the cup smoothly.

"Harry... T-that's amazing. How did you do it?" Hermione blurted out, still slightly in shock at the display.

Harry turned to her and shrugged, "It's just something I could do ever since I could remember." He could feel the stares from many students at the Ravenclaw table as well. 'They were impressed, definitely,' Harry thought. 'even the older students from 5th year.' His little display of his wandless abilities brought attention from the staff table as well.

Dumbledore did not seem surprise, he already knew Harry could do such things when he had visited him at the Orphanage. A few of the professors who had witnessed Harry's abilities looked shocked and impressed. Whispers from the various tables in Hogwarts was launched into hurried whispers and conversations, eyes gleamed at him from every, though Harry ignored all of it.

When the noise died down, Harry turned to observe the teachers sitting at the high staff table. The half-giant was drinking heavily from his goblet and occasionally muttered something under his breath. Professor McGonagall who had fetched them was speaking to Professor Dumbledore, though she occasionally glanced at him. A professor in turban was talking to another professor who had greasy black hair and a rather ugly hooked nose.

When their eyes met, Harry immediately gripped the table so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move. It took all his concentration to merely stop the pressure that was building up in his mind. How? What? What was it? That piercing knife that was poised at the front of his mind, ready to stab.

Harry opened his eyes which were closed and saw the hooked nose professor staring straight into his eyes. No, he couldn't let him in, whatever it was, whatever he was doing, he couldn't let him through! Harry's hand was now trembling, and he almost cried out in frustration when the pressure suddenly disappeared. The Professor had looked away when Dumbledore called for his attention. The Headmaster looked slightly angry at the greasy-haired man and they both glanced at him.

There wasn't any pain, but Harry was relieved that whatever had happened, did not go the way the greasy-haired professor wanted. He was confident that pressure that was attempting to ease its way in to his mind was thwarted. Harry wasn't sure what had just happened, but vowed to find out before such an event took place again.

At last, the desserts disappeared as well, and the dirtied dishes all vanished, along with their own plates, goblets and eating utensils. When Albus Dumbledore stood up again, the hall fell silent.

"I hope the banquet has been to your satisfaction. Before tonight ends, I have a few announcements to make. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils without special permission from Professors. The forbidden forests are usually used by our older students to gather potions ingredients and occasionally used for NEWTs Herbology lessons, and is especially forbidden for younger students."

"I have also been asked Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all to keep magic between classes in the corridors to a minimum. There might be no rules against casting spells, however if said spells are cast on one another, then there will be severe punishments."

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch and participate in their Houses' respective try-outs. First year students who wishes to try out for the Quidditch trials are reminded that first-year students are not allowed to own a broomstick of their own until second year."

"Also, for those who have just joined us this year, you are reminded to join a guild within three months or one will be assigned for you. Only the start of year, end of year and any other special occasions will require mandatory seating according to houses. Tomorrow and onwards, guilds may sit together during meals."

"And finally, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone this year. Let this serve as a warning to all whose curiosity might bring them there. Anyone who is caught on the third-floor corridor shall be punished severely."

The students exchanged looks with one another, indicating that such a thing did not seem to be common.

"Now, it is near curfew, and it's time for bed. First year students, please follow your house prefects who will lead you to your house common room. Please follow them closely, being lost in Hogwarts is not an experience you would want, trust me." The Gryffindor first years followed a red-haired boy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, followed by the Ravenclaws.

* * *

They traveled through the castle, the students excitedly pointing out talking portraits and other interesting things they saw. They climbed up a tight spiral staircase and at the top, a door opened, leading to a corridor where the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room was found. The prefect stopped before a door with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker.

The first year students looked confused at stopping here before the eagle spoke, surprisingly, "What is broken every time it is spoken?"

"As you can see, unlike the other common rooms in Hogwarts, a logical riddle is given by the knocker, affectionately nick-named Bahamut, must be answered to enter." The prefect explained. She had long, blonde, curly hair with dark blue eyes. She had introduced herself as Penelope Clearwater before welcoming the first years warmly during the journey here, causing a large number of boys to simultaneously gain a crush on her. Even Harry wasn't immune to her undeniable charms.

"What if we can't answer the riddle?" A girl asked aloud.

Penelope smiled, "Then you will have to wait outside until someone helps you or you could go to Professor Flitwick for help. Professor Flitwick is the Head of House for Ravenclaw, and if you have any problems, you can either come to use or go to him for help. Now, would anyone like to answer the riddle?"

The first-years thought for a moment and Harry was getting rather frustrated at the amount of effort they had to put in to try to solve such a simple riddle. He had figured it out the moment the knocker finished the question. Impatient at their indecisiveness, Harry volunteered himself to answer.

"Silence. The answer is silence. Silence is broken every time someone speaks." The students all turned to Harry. When Bahamut grunted out "correct." and the door opened, they looked at him in sight awe.

"Very good." Penelope beamed at Harry, "As you can see from Mr. Potter's demonstration, the door opens when the riddle is answered correctly."

Entering the common room, they were greeted to a large room with a domed ceiling. It had graceful arched windows and walls were hung with blue and bronze silks. The ceiling was painted with stars, that echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. Tables, chairs and book cases covered the expanse of the floor along with comfortable looking sofas and couches. A white-marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sat next to the door that led to the dormitories above. A plaque above it wrote _"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."_

The edges of the room also had a dozen shelves of books and tomes. Penelope gestured to the book shelves, "All Ravenclaw students can borrow the books here, but please be sure to return them after you have finished. Other students might be looking for the very book you're holding on to." She then pointed to the door at the end of the room. "That doorway leads to the dormitories. For obvious reasons, boys and girls will share a separate dorm. And please note that boys are not and cannot be allowed in to the girls dormitories."

Penelope led them into the doorway, leaving the large and spacious common room. Climbing up the stairs, she stopped at the first level up and stood in between two corridors. "This floor is the first-year students dormitories. The corridor on the right leads to the boy's dormitories where two boys will share a room. The corridor on the left leads to the girl's dormitories where, similarly, two girls will share one room. Toilets are in every room, and cleaning necessities are already provided and will be replaced when they are used up."

"One more thing before you proceed into your new rooms. Your luggage should already be placed in your respective rooms, which can be identified by the nameplate on the doors. Also, please refrain from making a ruckus in the common room or in your rooms. The 5th and 7th year students are studying for their OWLs and NEWTs respectively, and will need silence for them to study. Now, off you go."

The girls and boys went through their respective corridors and stumbled around to find their room, inspecting every name plate on the doors. Harry quickly found his, which was the third closest to the staircase. A brass plaque with a large _H. Potter_ was engraved, above another with _A. Marbrand. _

"Well, Potter, seems like we'll be room mates." A voice called out from behind. Harry turned back, recognizing the pureblood boy who had introduced himself at the banquet. The Marbrand's distinctive natural mixed hair colors of black and red could be found on him, as well as their red and black eyes. Addam Marbrand smiled, grasping Harry's hand in his own and shook it.

"Please, Marbrand, call me Harry."

"Only if you call me Addam." The boy returned. Harry recalled the Marbrand sigil, a tree burning in red and black fire on a smoky gray shield. Their words : _Ardens Lucida, _Burning Bright.

Harry turned back to the door and opened it, first of all noticing the rather large room. Twice or thrice the size of his own back at St. Margaret's. Two queen-size beds was located at both sides of the room, with still a large amount of space in between. A bedside table was next to the beds and two study desks with chairs at the opposite end of the door, as well as two wardrobes near the beds.

Addam's large trunk sat at the foot of the bed, while Harry's briefcase sized trunk rested comfortable against his own bed.

Harry took one appraising look at the room, taking in every detail he could see and breathed out loudly. "Home sweet home." It was a sentiment Addam shared as well.

* * *

And done. Here's chapter 6, hope you enjoyed it. I know this chapter was kinda short, but like chapter 3, I wanted to save the lessons and further interactions with other students for the next chapter.

So... Harry's in Ravenclaw! Like most of you had suggested. I couldn't see why not, so I just went "meh." and went with it. Really hoped you like it. Further explanations of the guild system also in this chapter, as well as a brief introduction to the nobility society in the Wizarding World. There are also a lot of OCs in my story, some of them will have further detailed elaborations while most won't have much to do with the story. The large number of OCs is because in my story, Hogwarts is a much large school, with around a 100 students in every year, while in the original story, there was only 10 new students in each house, having a total of 40 new students every year.

Once again, Love it, Hate it, Review it. Any help, advices or tips you have to offer will be gratefully welcomed. Please review if you have any suggestions or ideas, I would really appreciate it. I don't mind being treated like an idiot if you have any complains or criticisms.

_Seriously, review._

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter)_


	7. Gramp's Law of something something

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or anything else I may have used.

Author's Notes : Only a week until my exams begin, but I can't put this story down! I've forsaken games and reading stories now, focusing on revision and writing this chapter. I can, at most, contribute 1 – 2 hours to this chapter every day, perhaps writing 1 or 2 thousand words. Damn my asian ancestry! The stereotypical asian parents with high expectations is completely true! I can't walk by them without one asking "Why you no study? Go study now!" So yeah, I'm under tons of pressure from both my parents and society. The country I live in is pretty elitist. Only if you have a degree or diploma with your name on it, will you get a job, a good job at least.

**So anyways, let me deal with some stuff before the story begins. If you are still confused about the Guild System, don't worry. There will be future elaborations and more explanations on how it works. I will be exploring more obscure branches of magic in this story, so look forward to that. I don't want to spoil you yet, but I hope it will be as epic as I'm visualizing it to be.**

**Many OCs won't have much to do with the story, I just wanted to include names along with faces. Important OCs will be obviously portrayed. OCs will also not take up a huge chunk of screen time, I know that annoys many people including me. Ron is useless, I know. However, the Weasley family on the other hand will serve their purposes further into the story.**

**Is Harry evil? That is a vague term. He won't be 'Voldemort' evil, terrorizing and razing villages like dark sorcerors in children stories. He won't be the most innocent wizard alive as well. Harry is similar to Tom Riddle. Keywords _similar, _not identical and _Tom Riddle_ as in not Voldemort. Tom Riddle is described to be cruel, arrogant, sadistic, manipulative, sociopathic and megalomaniacal on the inside, while charming, polite, aloof, nonchalant, intelligent on the outside. Harry is similar to that description, but not a carbon copy of Tom Riddle.**

**Tons of detail too much new information, boon or bane? I personally like to see it as something good. I know some readers prefer dialogue and action rather than narration, and I really want to be a people pleaser, so I have and will try my best to have a balance of both. Like I include at the end of every chapter, if you have any advice, suggestions, or ideas, feel free to review and tell me. I appreciate the effort and shall fix whatever problems you might have. That said, don't expect me to get rid of a character just because you don't like him/her, it doesn't work that way.**

**Someone suggested my overall story would improve with a beta-reader. I don't really know what that actually is, I have always written stories on my own without any external advisory. I'm not really sure how a beta-reader will improve my story, I've never really taken the time to find out what it is.**

That's about it. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Sleep eluded Harry for the first few hours on the first night. On an unfamiliar bed in a new exotic world did not put him to sleep. Nor did the sounds of life coming from his roommate, Addam. Harry was not used to sharing a room. The Orphanage was large and spacious, with enough room for all children to have their own rooms unless they wanted to share.

In a strange and admittedly foreign land, Harry's senses had been heightened to the maximum. Addam's chest that went up and down as he breathed did not escape Harry's attention. Even if he did not try to, Harry noticed the rustling of leaves and the wind outside his window. Addam's breathing sounds did not serve as the lullaby to lull him to sleep either. It took a while before Harry's eyelids finally grew heavy and he slumbered.

The boy woke up at 6am as he always had. Addam was still sleeping, Harry noticed as he climbed out of bed. The soft and silky sheets was almost too insanely comfortable to leave. Harry quickly went to the toilet and washed up, brushing his teeth and washing his face. He approached his briefcase and flipped it open. From within, he fished out a pair black track pants and a black tee shirt coupled with a red sweatshirt.

Already used to the routine from the Orphanage, Harry exited his room after changing, leaving the sleeping Marbrand. He left the Ravenclaw common room with his wand tucked into his sweatshirt's pocket. Harry had already remembered the path back down to the courtyard from when they had walked up to the Ravenclaw common room last night.

The sky was still dark out, leaving Harry with sufficient time to finish his run and workout. Harry could still appreciate the stonework of the castle even though he had just woke up. He wasn't a morning person per se, but he was alert and vigilant at all times. It was just the way Harry was wired, not exactly paranoid but cautious. Harry could hear portraits snoring every once in awhile as he jogged past them.

Reaching the courtyard, Harry took a deep breath of the chilly morning air. The grass was wet with moisture, and the morning dew would have been shimmering had there been sunlight. Harry immediately started to stretch to warm up before the run. When he deemed his body was sufficiently warmed up, he started running.

The courtyard had a bricked path that seemed to circle around the entire school. Convenient for anyone who wanted to run. The path itself was marked with 400m intervals which made for an accurate measurement of how much Harry could run until he became tired. There was no such practical tracks at the orphanage, so Harry just ran around the entire town until he got hungry. With an actual standardized method of measurement, Harry could achieve a more accurate estimate of his fitness.

Soon, 8 minutes had passed and Harry started breathing heavier than when he started. He was running at a steady pace from the start, and the lactic acid in his muscles was already to burn slightly. That was good, the book had mentioned this was the body's indication that it was starting to tire and warning the brain not to overwork its body. Therefore, he was exercising effectively.

He had not noticed the twin black ravens that was flying around him until one swooped past his vision. Turning his attention to the bird, he recognized the wicked talons on one of them and the sleek purple sheen on black feathers on the other.

"So... where have... you been?" Harry huffed out, still continuing his pace.

"**Exploring, mostly. After one night of flying, we probably have entire lay out of Hogwarts memorized. The outside, of course. We have yet to explore and map out the inside." **Huginn spoke. How, Harry did not know. It was telepathic definitely. Ravens did not have vocal chords developed enough to produce such sounds, nor tongues to regulate said sounds neither.

"That's... fascinating... tell me more." Harry blandly replied, as he focused on the path in front of him.

"**We could transfer the mapped layout of the outside of Hogwarts to you." **

That made Harry miss a step and he almost tripped over his own feet. "Wait, you can do that?"

The two ravens seemed to be amused at the question and chose not to answer. Muninn merely lowered down and was soon soaring next to Harry. This did not escape Harry's notice. The bird was not even moving its wings, yet a dark distorted energy seemed to push it upwards and forwards.

The raven opened its mouth and a dark fine mist crept out of its beak and floated slowly into Harry's ear. The boy could not feel the black smoke, but knew that it was doing something to his brain. Harry wasn't sure if he should trust a raven so explicitly as to allow it to send _something_ into his ear, but his curiosity overrode his natural caution.

When the smoke finished seeping into his ear drum, Harry suddenly had images flashing across his mind. Memories, visions, the view of the castle from a bird's eye, literally. As Harry continued running, he realized that he now knew the castle's exterior like the back of his hand. The path that led to the forbidden forest, a large hut resided on the edge of said forest. Beside the castle, a field with stands and three hoops in mid-air could be found. The highest point of the castle was a place where astronomy students gathered.

He glanced at Muninn who had raised his altitude and was now flying alongside Huginn again. "How...?"

"**That is for us to know, and for you to try and find out but fail." **

Harry frowned, it wouldn't be that easy. The ravens were probably the most mysterious creatures or perhaps beings Harry had ever encountered. Anyone he met, Harry could profile and analyze easily. Given that Huginn and Muninn were birds, and thus animals, it was already difficult for him to decipher their emotions or personalities. They further deepened their enigmatic persona with cryptic words and half-truths.

"A weird thing... happened to me... during dinner... last night." Harry said in between breaths, recalling the strange and distressing experience he had when he had looked in to the greasy haired professor's eyes. "When I looked... in a professor's eyes... it felt as though... something was trying... to get into my head... I repelled the intruder... before it could do anything...I think."

The two ravens were silent for a moment, **"I believe that man was attempting to read your mind. It is a skill known to wizards as Legillimency. We do not know much about it, but we do know that to counter a practitioner of Legillimency, one must be well versed in Occlumency, the ability to defend one's mind from external influence."**

This alarmed Harry slightly, if that man was able to read his mind as easily as looking into his eyes, it would be a problem. "Where can I... learn Occlumency?" He asked.

**"We don't know. However, rest easy for now. We doubt the man will try anything again so soon, but even if he does you will have our protection. As long as we are near you, unless being directly assaulted by mind magic, you shall be safe."**

"You're... pretty useful." Harry breathed out, but immediately regretted his words. He had not meant to objectify the two ravens, making them seem like a tool.

The two birds in question seemed to be able to read his thoughts and was amused, **"Like we said before, we belong to you master. Thank you for your compliment."**

* * *

When Harry finished his exercise, he stood in the middle of the courtyard. His shirt was stained with sweat after the rather rigorous exercises. It was around 7:30, his internal clock told him. It was right then that the sun started rising. Dawn broke the darkness as the sun kissed the horizon. Orange light burned the ground and the glaring illumination of the rising sun invaded his eyes.

'Well, the sun rises just like the rest of the world at least...'

"I can't believe you woke up at 6! What do you even do at that ungodly hour?" Addam exclaimed exaggeratedly as they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Addam had waken up half an hour after Harry's shower and found the green-eyed boy browsing the massive selection of books in the Ravenclaw common room.

Harry was tempted to roll his eyes, but chose to smile instead. "I'm used to waking up early to exercise in the morning."

Addam looked disbelieving, "Exercise, really?"

"Perhaps you'd like to join me? My workout usually consists of a 3-4km run around the school as well as a light muscle training after." Harry offered. He would not have enjoyed Addam's company during the exercise, but it was only polite to offer.

It was fortunate that Addam immediately refused, shaking his head and waved the suggestion off, "If I have to wake up at 6, forget it."

Chuckling mirthlessly, Harry continued and they entered the Great Hall. At 8:15, it was still considered early as lessons started at 9. They had yet to receive their lesson schedules, which would be given during breakfast. Harry did not express it, but inside he was feeling rather excited. His first lesson in Hogwarts, he could not wait to find out how it would be.

The doors to the Hall was already open, and within already had a couple of students eating. The furniture within the Great Hall had changed drastically from last night. There had been four large and long tables that sat all the students of the same house together. However, now the four long tables had been removed, replaced by many more smaller tables and chairs. Each of the tables had a small display stand as well, which had the breakfast menu on it.

Groups of four or five sat together, presumably guilds. Dumbledore had mentioned last night that guilds were allowed to sit together during meals with the exception special events. The scene reminded Harry of a school's cafeteria.

Harry scanned the great hall to see if there were any familiar faces and was pleased to see Neville Longbottom by himself at one of the tables. He was already eating and though Neville lacked the usual superior air of a noble, he at least had decent table manners.

Gesturing Addam to follow him, Harry approached the Longbottom scion. "Hullo Neville, is this seat occupied?"

The chubby boy did not seem to have been caught off guard, he did not even notice Harry walking to him. "Err.. yes, I mean n-no."

Raising an eyebrow at Neville's indecisive answer, Harry shrugged and pulled out a chair to join Neville anyways. "Oh, right. Neville, this is Addam Marbrand, my roommate. And Addam, this is Neville Longbottom, I met him on the train." Addam politely nodded at him as they shook hands while Neville gave a nervous smile.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Harry asked.

"N-no, not at all..." Neville replied softly before turning back to his cereal. He took a bite of some cornflakes and milk, crunching as quietly as possible.

"Thank you." They chorused.

Harry scanned through the menu and was surprised to see some of the foods in the menu actually had a price! The first few was free of charge : Cereal & milk, porridge, toast, to name a few. The next tier each cost either 1 or 2 points : American bagels, scrambled eggs, hash-browns and such. The final tier had a range of 3-5 points price : Bacon, sausages and ham were 3 points each. Pancakes, waffles were 4 points while a full english breakfast cost 5 points.

Addam took a look at the menu as well, "Oh man, we have to pay for our breakfast with, what, points? This is just ridiculous!" He exclaimed grumpily.

Harry was not exactly delighted either. "Well, at least they're not expecting us to starve. There are some food that are free of charge, not very appetizing though." He spied a fine print at the bottom, _To place an order simply request for the meal of your choice. Points will be deducted from your person and therefore your House and guild. _

Humming in curiosity, Harry turned to Addam, "Do they have a way of tracking the points we've accumulated?"

"Well, yeah, of course they do. That's how Hogwarts is able to detect any point taken or given by professors and update the Guild score board. When a professor gives points to a student, the entire action is processed by the Hogwart's points system then channeled into the student's house and guild." Marbrand absently replied while he inspected each of the menu's items.

"Let me rephrase my question : Do we have a way of checking the points we've accumulated?" Harry asked again, eyeing the Marbrand scion who wasn't really paying attention.

"Yeah, the student handbook we shall be receiving soon from our head of house. Each are magically attuned to a student's magical signature as well as Hogwart's point system. When a professor gives a student points, it is recorded within the student handbook. The book also contain rules & regulations, a map, and basically any information a student might need."

Addam turned to Harry who looked rather surprised, "My father told me before I came to Hogwarts." He explained.

"Is that so, thank you."

Waving it off, Addam mumbled a, "No problem." before saying "I'd like cereal and milk." A bowl of fresh milk and crispy cornflakes magically appeared in front of him. "Sweet." He commented before digging in.

"Toast and milk please." Harry asked, before a plate of toast as well as a glass of milk appeared before him. Nodding in appreciation at the efficiency of such a system, Harry lifted a slice of bread toasted golden brown, and took a crunchy bite.

"How do they maintain such a service?" Harry asked in between bites.

"House elves, duh?" Addam replied in slight exasperation. Though Harry showed no emotions outwardly except for a look of understanding, he did not appreciate the cheek Marbrand was showing him. He was still only enduring it because he couldn't afford to make an enemy out of anyone, not yet anyways.

They were about to finish breakfast when Harry heard a voice behind him.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Marbrand!" A tiny voice excitedly squeaked out. Harry turned back to see a rather short man with a shock of white hair and beard. "I am Filius Flitwick, you may call me Professor Flitwick, the Charms Master of Hogwarts, and also the head of house for Ravenclaw. I was unfortunately unable to introduce myself to the first-year students last night."

"It's an honor to meet you sir. I've read about you, dueling champion who dominated the Britain dueling circuit for years during the 1960s. You took the championship cup and won yourself the title of Champion in 1963, then defending your title for three consecutive years before retiring to further study magic. You then achieved a doctorate in Charms for your work in dueling spells which contributed to the war against Dark Lord Grindlewald before becoming the Charms professor in 1972." Harry immediately gushed out, momentarily forgetting his supposedly aloof disposition.

He had read about Flitwick in several books, including _Chiamare Gli Elementi _where the author had mentioned the half-goblin dueling champion several times, commending Filius' skills and appraising his techniques. Even _Stick Them With The Pointy End_ had references to Professor Flitwick's dueling style, using the Charms Master's incredible footwork and speed as an example.

The tiny professor looked ecstatic, "Oh, that was far too long ago, I haven't participated in the dueling tournaments since I became an educator."

Harry looked slightly abashed and smiled, "I'm very interested in the dueling circuit, Professor Flitwick. I intend to participate in dueling competitions before I leave Hogwarts!" Both dueling books had remarked that Dueling competitions were not only a place to test your skills, but to learn as well. Witnessing extremely skilled and powerful wizards dueling in person would be a very educational and humbling experience, or so the book said.

The professor clapped his hands in delight, "It's always pleasing to meet a young, aspiring duelist. And this might be tad biased, but 5 points to you for showing your diligence in researching dueling in such detail! Ooh, almost forgot, here are your student handbooks Mr. Potter, Mr. Marbrand, your schedule should already be in the book. See you during sixth period!" With that, the tiny professor sped away to another first-year ravenclaw. By now, the great hall was already filled with students, either comfortably eating their breakfast or rushing in after oversleeping.

Harry inspected the handbooks they were given, it had a polished bronze metallic cover that was smooth to the touch, lined with blue. The handbooks given must have had different color combinations according to their houses. Large words were engraved on the front, _Student Handbook Ravenclaw Edition. _And below it was his name, _Harry Potter_. The back had Hogwart's coat of arms engraved on it, A lion, a snake, an eagle and a badger cornering a large letter H.

Flipping it open, Harry quickly skimmed through the pages. On the very first page was an introduction to Hogwarts, explaining their school motto and generally stuff found in a cheesy commercial. There was a record of his current points with had a 5 written in the blank. There were rules and regulations, a map of the school, and a bunch of other stuff Harry skipped through. He found the lesson schedule and quickly memorized it.

Harry turned to Addam who hadn't even touched the handbook after merely commenting "Cool." after he had received it. The Marbrand was finishing his breakfast.

He found Neville looking at him in slight amazement, "Way to go Harry, you've already earned 5 points!" The chubby boy immediately flushed after his comment, and shut his mouth, as if worried what he said might have offended Harry.

Such insecurity and nervousness the boy was practically radiating was pathetic to Harry, to be honest. As the heir and scion of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Longbottom, he should be expected to keep his head held up high. Harry had expected other heirs of Founding Families to be confident, charismatic aristocrats with a polished elegance, not this bumbling sack of nerves ready to break down and burst in to tears.

It disgusted Harry, that such a pitiful excuse of a wizard was going to inherit hundred of millions of galleon once he reached Magical Maturity. Did he really deserve the name of House Longbottom? _'Just give me your money you steaming pile of ineptitude.' _

Complete contrasting his inner thoughts, Harry gave Neville a grin and chuckled slightly, "Thanks Neville. I'm sure you'll be racking up points for Gryffindor pretty soon as well."

The Longbottom heir merely looked down in despondency, "I don't know, Harry, all my life I've been told I'm a squib. Even my grandmother was surprised I received a letter from Hogwarts. I don't think I will be any good in anything..."

_'Tch, pathetic._' Harry scowled internally but merely frowned on the surface. "Don't say that, Neville. I'm sure you'll do great in Hogwarts, don't listen to what your grandmother or anybody else says, just trust in yourself and your own abilities!" _'That was so cheesy I might puke.'_

Neville looked more confident at that, "I guess... if you say so, Harry."

Harry smiled, then pulled out his wand and swirled it in a complete circle, **"Tempus!"** He softly said and crudely drawn numbers appeared in front of his wand in the air. "It's already 8:45, let's get going already." He told Addam.

The red-black haired boy nodded and stood up after stuffing the student handbook in to his bag. "What class are we having?" Addam asked as they waved goodbye to Neville.

"We have Transfigurations with the Hufflepuffs for the first two periods." Harry replied, not needing to check the schedules.

Addam looked confused, "Sorry, periods?"

Harry looked genuinely satisfied, "What, Marbrand finally doesn't know something about Hogwarts?" Addam pouted at that, causing Harry to chuckle, "A period is one hour. Two periods means two hours."

"I can count, Potter." Addam playfully spat back himself.

* * *

They arrived quickly at the Transfiguration classroom which was classroom 1B, located at the ground floor near the middle courtyard. They were among the first to reach, and chose two seats near the middle. Students started streaming in readily while Harry and Addam chatted.

Harry found out more about Addam's family. His father, was the current Lord Marbrand and thus assumed all responsibilities of House Marbrand. Though considering the House of Marbrand was a quite recently instated Noble household, they did not have much to do. His father was also a ministry official, working in the Department of Magical Transportation. His mother had been an Auror before she became pregnant with Addam. After giving birth, she took an early retirement.

Furthermore, he found out more about the Marbrand House. One of their ancestors, Damien Marbrand had been a terrifying pyromaniac. He was the one who created many of the fire elemental spells, including the widely used **Incendio**_**. **_Damien Marbrand then set alight one of the great sentinel trees in the North that was a landmark amongst the Northern giants. This led to the creation of the Marbrand family's sigil as well as words and also Damien Marbrand's death by clobbering.

They were chatting amicably before Harry noticed Susan Bones walk in. When she noticed him looking at Harry quickly gestured to the empty seat beside him. The classroom 1B had the same seating arrangement as many other classrooms, columns of four. Harry and Addam had taking two seats, and had two vacant ones beside them.

Susan brightened up and approached Harry, that was when Harry noticed another girl who was trailing behind the redhead.

"Hi Harry!" Susan greeted.

"Hey." Harry responded with a smile, "Right, Susan this is Addam Marbrand, my roommate. And Addam, this is Susan Bones, my... friend?" He ended with a cute questioning tone.

Susan giggled, "Yep, friend. Erm, this is Hannah Abbott, we've been friends for, hmmm, 4 years now?" The now identified Hannah nodded shyly while looking at Addam, blushing. The girl had sandy blonde hair worn in pigtails and pale grey eyes.

Addam seemed oblivious at the attention Hannah was giving him and instead waved casually at them. The two took a seat just as the Transfiguration professor entered the classroom.

Professor McGonagall stalked down the central path, her robes billowing like a cloak behind her. The confidence and authoritarian calm she exuded silenced the chattering students. Turning around to face her students, she looked at them and seemed to be inspecting her future students. Her slightly wrinkled face, worn with late nights and old age, was set in pursed lips as her eyes swept through the class of over fifty students.

"You are here to learn the exact and dangerous art of Transfiguration. There will be no fooling around in this class, and those who does shall leave this classroom and never come back. I expect absolute obedience in any instruction I might give you concerning your safety. If I tell you to put down your wand, you jolly well ask where. Am I clear?"

The class managed a mumbled 'Yes' which was deemed satisfiable by the Professor.

"Now, what is Transfiguration? Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, via the alteration of the object's molecular structure. Transfiguration can be done to most, if not all, objects and as with forms of magic it includes spells. Can anyone tell me the classifications of Transfiguration?"

Harry could see Hermione immediately raise up her hand and seemed to be trying to mentally extend her raised hand. Seeing the girl's confidence, McGonagall knew that the Ravenclaw definitely knew the answer, and thus decided to ask someone else. That was when she noticed Harry Potter looking bemused at Hermione's attempts to get her attention.

"Mr. Potter, what are the classifications of Transfiguration?" She pointedly asked, expecting a 'I don't know' or some form of a stuttered response.

"Transfiguration is divided into four branches. They are Transformation, Vanishment, Conjuration and Untransfiguration." Harry answered immediately without hesitation.

Though Professor McGonagall was shocked at his immediate and correct answer, she did not appear outwardly to be. She nodded in acknowledgement, "That is correct. 10 points to Mr. Potter. Transformation refers to the alteration or deformation of a target in some way. Vanishment is the art of causing things to vanish, to make things go into non-being. Conjuration is the art of conjuring matter, that is to create something from nothing. Untransfiguration is the art of reversing a previous transfiguration, counter spells to reverse the effects of transfiguration. From the first year to third year, we shall be learning transformation. Inanimate to animate, or animate to inanimate. Can anyone tell me which is more difficult?"

Hoping to catch Harry off guard once more, she called out his name.

"Inanimate to animate transformation is more difficult for most people, due to the need to visualize and create the entrails and organs of the animate object. Not to mention the addition of a sentient intelligence, though temporary, is an extremely complicated process that requires a necessary level of imagination."

"However, inanimate to animate transformation is much simpler in comparison. The lack of the required comprehension of the internal structure of an animate object as animation transformation needs, lowers the difficulty immensely. Animate to inanimate transfiguration can of course differ in difficulty. Transforming an insect to, say, a quill, is much easier than to transform a dog into a statue. Then again, that is much more simpler than human transfiguration."

"There is also a hybrid of both transfiguration sequences called switching. Switching is a sub-type of transformation magic where a physical feature from one of two targets is switched with that of the other. Usually, switching is used between two living things, although switching can be applied to two non-living things or between an inanimate object and an animate object. For example, in 1976, Vayon Poole managed to replace a Yeti's legs with snow and was thus able to capture it, saving a mountain tribe in Nepal. Switching is a simple process that can be mixed with both transformation practices, which thus proves that the hybrid mixture can have contrasting difficulty."

Harry finished off with a smile while the class looked on, mouths agape. Even McGonagall seemed stunned at his explanation, knowing that even she couldn't have given a better explanation. Regaining her calm, she briskly nodded, "Very good, Mr. Potter. Take 15 points for a very detailed explanation, and another 5 for going beyond the question and elaborating on further relevant points."

McGonagall was about to speak again when she caught Harry Potter's challenging grin. Narrowing her eyes, McGonagall sent a challenging smirk back in response. Game on.

* * *

The first period ended with McGonagall tired and weary, Harry triumphant and proud while all the other students awed and in amazement. Professor McGonagall had attempted to test Harry every opportunity she got, asking him many questions that had no business being asked in a first year classroom's first lesson. Anything from the incantation of the simplest transfiguration spell, to the limitations of conjuration.

By the end of the 'challenge' Harry had earned Ravenclaw 85 points, Professor McGonagall's acknowledgment as well as his fellow student's respect. The other Ravenclaws looked at him with both admiration and envy while the Hufflepuffs were just impressed. That was one thing Harry had noticed throughout the lesson, while Ravenclaws were quiet outside the class, they were incredibly noisy in the classroom, the good kind of noisy that is. The Hufflepuffs seemed to accept Harry's apparent knowledgeable grasp on the subject without question, indicating at their sense of equality.

"Well, let's begin the practical portion of Transfiguration now that we've ended that admittedly taxing session of Mr. Potter's display of his impressive knowledge on Transfiguration." Professor McGonagall began while waving her wand at the teacher's desk. A few dozen matches levitated and each landed softly on every student's desk.

"Before you is a match. Today, you shall be learning to transform this match into a needle. That is one of our most basic transfigurations. Take note of the wand motions we have discussed, and remember, the most crucial part of any transfiguration is your intent and visualization skills. You must actually _want_ the match to turn into a needle. Do not force it, brute strength is useless in Transfiguration nor any other aspects of magic. Instead, focus your intent and let your magic do the trick. Now, begin." With that the students started waving their wands at the matchstick in an attempt to transform it into a needle.

Professor McGonagall then deliberately started walking towards Harry's desk, while nodding and correcting the other students along the way.

Harry on the other hand, merely smirked at the simplicity of the exercise. He had dove through the next 5 years worth of Transfiguration course books, and it was only the lack of experience that prevented him from taking the OWLs right this year and getting an Outstanding for transfiguration. Of course, he wouldn't even if he could. The next 7 years would be a crucial period for him to gather friends and alliances. Hogwarts would also be a good place for him to renew the old family coalitions as well as to create new family ties. If he graduated early, he would lose that opportunity, and for what? To get some respect he already had as the boy-who-lived?

Addam was having difficulty with the transfiguration, only managing to turn the tip a slight grey and sharper after the first few tries. Susan must have had practice before or had read ahead of the class, because her match was now the correct silver texture and color, though it had yet to change shape. Hannah was only paying half her attention to the match, sending glances at Addam every once a while, a blush occupying her cheeks. This made Harry hum in amusement every time he noticed it, the blonde wasn't as subtle as she must have thought.

Harry had yet to attempt the transfiguration, opting to observe his classmates attempts instead. Some of them had little talent for transfiguration, either having no effect or only slight changes like Addam's. Many were doing rather well for their first lesson, though none of them had managed to come even remotely close to the finished product, and only a handful were as close as Susan.

The green-eyed boy watched as Hermione Granger form the needle's eye and nodded appreciatively, the muggleborn witch had _some_ talent at least. Harry only noticed the Professor McGonagall when she had stood in front of him, eyes narrowed at his apparent lack of effort.

"Mr. Potter, well? Go on." Professor McGonagall might not have said it, but she did have high expectations for Harry. She wanted to know if he possessed the genius with transfiguration James Potter was blessed with. And from the brilliant display Harry had shown before, she held high hopes for him.

Shrugging, Harry waved his wand. The red tip of the match lengthened and sharpened, the rectangular prism that was the match's body became cylindrical and the butt of the match formed an hole. In an instant, the match had turned into a perfect needle, color and all.

Professor McGonagall widened her eyes in surprise, and Addam beside him looked shocked as well. Picking the needle up, she inspected it with a close eye and found no flaws in the transfiguration. The tip even looked sharp enough to draw blood if pricked.

"Impressive, Mr. Potter. 15 points to Ravenclaw. You have certainly inherited your father's natural talent at transfiguration. To be able to succeed at your first try, just like your father, though he had tuition before coming to Hogwarts. And I know you couldn't have had any tuition, this is pure talent." McGonagall gushed out, elated that her suspicions were found to be accurate.

"Thank you, Professor. I must admit that I did read ahead of class before coming to Hogwarts, my apologies." Harry humbly replied.

McGonagall waved it off, "Oh don't be ridiculous Mr. Potter, there is nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about class, in fact we encourage it." She had raised her voice at the last part, eyeing the rest of the class who were overhearing their conversation.

"Well, after I had first finish reading _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, _I was just so intrigued by the many aspects of transfiguration. I had been looking forward to the this class the entire summer. I find this particular branch of magic to be especially fascinating, to have so many possibilities, so many theories.

I had read about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, where it stated that the conjuration of metals are limited to their chemical reactivity. For example, transfiguring alkali metals, more specifically francium, was impossible due to its explosive reactivity. On the other hand, moderately reactive metals like iron or copper is entirely possible to transfigure. While completely non-reactive metals like silver and gold lies in the same transfiguration impossibility as francium." Harry stated, while McGonagall nodded, slightly impressed at Harry's understanding of transfiguration.

"What I'm unsure of is why? What does a metal's reactivity have anything to do with the possibility of transfiguring them? The book never mentioned the reasons why they were impossible to transfigure, only that it couldn't be done." Harry asked, now grabbing the attention of a few Ravenclaws who had read about that too.

"Well, there have been many theories, but the one I believe to be the most accurate would by that the reason why it is impossible to create those metals would be because of their reactivity is due to their electronic structure. A reactive metal is reactive due to their incomplete valence shell, and the alkali metals are especially reactive because they are able to form an ion with a +1 charge. The atoms and molecules of such metals react with the magic that is attempting to transfigure them into existence, effectively neutralizing the process.

Now, there has been much speculation of the reason why non reactive metals cannot be transfigured. Most say that it is because to create gold or metal, a number of its protons, neutrons or electrons must be taken away. This physical change required an extreme and specific amount of energy. With the lack of such amounts of magical energy in any one individual, this task has been deemed impossible by many scholars. There have been many attempts to gather and accumulate energy in order to perform this act, but every attempt have been proven unsuccessful. The energy required is also very specific, that means a drop less or a drop more will completely alter its effects. Thus, there is no way of knowing exactly how much energy is needed, and it is rather improbable to experiment with this limit. Hence, this is why it is seen as an impossibility." Professor McGonagall explained, thoroughly enjoying the little debate they were sharing.

"Yet, the philosopher's stone created by Nicholas metal is able to turn any metal into gold." Harry pointed out. Harry might have been wrong, no he is never wrong, the Professor's expression definitely changed, albeit slightly, when he had mentioned the philosopher's stone.

"Yes, which is why Nicholas Flamel is known worldwide as a legendary alchemist who was able to recreate the formula to create gold. Due to the supposed impossibility of such an achievement and also his resistance to share this secret, the creation of gold is still treated as an inevitable failure." Professor McGonagall replied.

Seeing that she was in no mood to continue this discussion after he had mentioned the philosopher's stone, Harry thanked the Professor and she left to help another student.

Addam punched Harry's shoulder playfully, "That's an even 100 points right? You bookworm! You planning to earn 500 points by the end of today?"

Harry merely chuckled, "I am unable to confirm nor deny that statement."

"How did you know all that?" Susan beside him asked. "I've lived with magic my entire life, but I've never even heard of Gramp's Law of something something."

Harry pretended to hold back a chuckle, "It's Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, I admit it is not something we need to know before fourth year though. Like I told you on the train, I read a lot."

Smiling, Susan giggled "I can see that now."

The class ended with Harry, Susan, Hermione and a few others being able to succeed. Susan managed the finishing touch under Harry's guidance, earning 10 points for finishing, though Harry earned another 5 for helping her after McGonagall spotted him explaining the process. Addam and Hannah were both very close to finishing as well. The Marbrand scion's needle had the exact shape, but the tip was a dull grey while the body was black. The Hufflepuff had a perfect color and texture, but the tip was blunt and the needle still retained a rectangular prism shape. Though Harry suspected she held back just so she and Addam had something to talk about during. The two had bonded slightly during the process, Hannah giving him tips on the color, while Addam gave her advice on the shape.

Now, Addam and Harry and the rest of the Ravenclaw first year students were headed to Classroom 47 on the first floor for two periods of History of Magic. The first lesson held much promise for Harry, he was looking forward to the second lesson. He hadn't learned much about History except from the one book he had purchased the first time he visited Diagon Alley. He wasn't that interested in History, so had not bothered to finish the entire series of _History of Magic since 1600s_. Hopefully History class would not be boring, he heard that a ghost was teaching it, how exciting!

* * *

Well, Harry will be in for a rude surprise. This is the end of chapter 7, hoped you enjoyed it. No, I will not be having so much detail on lessons after the first lesson for each subject. Unless you want me to? This will be the last chapter _until _at most the end of November. I will be having examinations, and cannot afford to be distracted, not now. That is why, after I post this chapter, I will be locking away my laptop, *horrified gasp*. I know, but it is totally my choice (_no, it's not!_) and I'm totally fine with it, (_help me!_)

**One more thing you need to take note, is that any emotions Harry portray externally is _Fake_! If you read that he chuckles at someone's joke, he's just pretending because he knows that it is social protocol to respond positively when someone has attempted to joke. **

I hope you liked the new thing I added, where food needs to be purchased with points. I think that with Hogwarts being a more academically focused school than canon, the professors would want to encourage students to work for rewards, and be rewarded for work. The meals actually cost points thing came to me on a whim, and if you liked it, I will be adding that system for other things such as room cleaning, access to amenities, etc...

Once again, Love it, Hate it, Review it. Any help, advice, tips you have to offer will be gladly welcomed. Please review if you have any suggestions or ideas, I would really appreciate it. I don't mind being treated like a moron for your point to get across if you have any complaints or criticisms.

_Seriously, review. _

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recofnize you when I am done. (Evil Laughter)_


	8. Lessons and the Library

Shadow of the Snake Chapter 8

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or anything else I may have used.

**Author's Notes** : **My exams ended later than I expected. I fucked up some subjects though... so that's sad. Four weeks of my arduous finals, and I'm finally done with this year's education. I know I promised I would post a new chapter by the end of November, but I was just so busy that I didn't have the time to do it.**

**I'm not going to make any excuses, I was just having way too much fun after my exams to start writing a new chapter. I have been constantly hanging out with my friends, basically doing dumb teenage guy stuff. U also had to catch up on all the cool games that were released when I was focusing on my studies. Mass Effect 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Farcry 3! Hmm, I'm seeing a pattern here... (Not advertising any of these commercially, though I strongly recommend playing them!)**

**I also went on a trip with my just my buddies (no parents!) to Korea. (I'm a fan of Kpop, so...) I've also been working recently, doing some desk job administrative work, 9 to 5. So I've been real busy as you would imagine. I've only had like an hour a day for the last two weeks to write this chapter, so it might seem really choppy.**

_Edit* 7/1/2013 - "Meaning, While a dragon could easily kill a griffon, **it would be killed by a troll. For while fire beats wind, fire is weak against earth.**" I made a mistake, because fire should be defeated by water, not earth. I only noticed because a **lot** of people had problems with a troll killing a dragon. Lol. _**  
**

Anyways, here's chapter 8, hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Well, that was boring." Addam started as he set down his bag next to him. It was lunch period, and the Great Hall already contained half of the student population while the rest streamed in readily.

"That would be an understatement, Marbrand." The curt reply came from Draco. The two had met during History of Magic where the Ravenclaws shared the lesson with the Slytherins. When they were clamoring over who should sit next to Harry, even though there were two seats beside him, Daphne and Tracey had taken the opportunity to slip themselves in the seats.

The lesson was not as educational as Harry had built it up in his head. The Professor was a ghost, which should have been really cool, yet he had the monotony that could compare to a statue. For the entire two excruciatingly long hours, Professor Binns droned on and on about the Goblin Rebellion.

What Harry found particularly peculiar about both the textbook and the Professor was that they had either skimmed past certain parts in the rebellion or had excluded them completely. The book he had purchased at Diagon alley before contained much more content about the wars, and in more detail.

Professor Binns first talked about the casualties of war, even though he never even mentioned the larger number of Goblins who had perished under the wands of wizards. Then he had emphasized on the supposed cruelty of the Goblin King who had killed many, goblins and wizards both. Yet that particular king was only one out of a long line of Goblin royalty who were fearsome and respected warriors themselves.

Then again, history is written by the victors, which is the reason why the Wizarding world stands above the Goblin Nation, and not the other way around.

"I fell asleep after half an hour in to the lesson, who could possibly stay awake under that ghost's voice?" Addam continued, ignoring the spiteful jab by Draco when he had spat out his name. They did not possess the most amicable relationship, having started off on the wrong foot. It was mostly a playful give-and-take between them, trading insults and cynical replies.

"I did." Harry piped in as he looked through the menu. The lunch menu had a much larger variety than in breakfast. The 'Free' section had surprisingly luxurious food, for Harry anyways there wasn't much of a choice in the orphanage, burgers, sandwiches. There was even quite a diverse selection of cultural foods, Sushi, Kebab, Spaghetti.

"Well, you are the only exception to that, Harry. Although, I did see a couple of other Ravenclaws who were struggling to stay awake, barely successfully of course." Daphne retorted, "I'll have the turkey ham sandwich."

"It was easy, I stayed awake by mentally pointing out the fact Professor Binns left out during the lesson." Harry answered, ordering a plate of fish and chips for himself for 3 points. The plate of deep fried fish served with chips and a small portion of tartare sauce appeared in front of him with a mouth-watering smell accompanying it.

"First off, Harry you had better share that if you value our friendship," Tracy started "Second, what do you mean left out?"

Pushing the plate of fish and chips to the middle of the table where everyone helped themselves to a generous portion. Tracy's question did not surprise Harry at all. These pureblood children grew up sheltered from the reality of life. To them, only the wizarding world suffered in the goblin wars, only the lives of good men and women were lost to the evil goblins.

They had never needed to hear the truth for themselves, only taking the word of their parents for the truth. Not that it would be anymore wrong for them to listen to their parents, but the fact remained that even their parents were ignorant of the truth. Government propaganda ran a long way, when they obviously didn't want the truth to be taught in schools.

"Never mind." Harry quickly responded. It would be too much of a bother to explain everything and break them out of their mindset that what they knew was the absolute truth. He didn't want to appear snobby or arrogant either by correcting someone's ideal that they had lived by their entire lives, not yet at least. That would have seemed rude, it was much easier to make friends without the awkward tension of conceit and presumptuous attitude between them.

Plus, Harry wasn't sure why people thought that he was hardworking, because he absolute wasn't. He was incredibly lazy, skipping out on any chores in the orphanage, or used magic to do them. To be able to levitate a plate to you just by thinking it or completely cleaning a dirty dish with just a snap of his fingers did not build the much needed character and values a child would need.

"So how many points did you earn today Harry, to be able to afford actually edible food for lunch?" Draco casually asked as he ordered an egg-mayo sandwich.

Addam snickered, and answered for him, loudly. "You wouldn't believe it, Harry actually earned over a hundred points in Transfiguration before earning another 5 points in History of Magic."

The tables around them all overheard him, and whispers immediately started. "No way!" Draco exclaimed, with Daphne and Tracy looking equally surprised and impressed.

Harry gave a shrug, "Professor McGonagall seemed really interested in my answer for her many many questions. Though she gave appropriate points for each answer given, so it just kept accumulating. I doubt she was really paying attention when she gave the points either. I think I might have unconsciously challenged her into questioning me."

The three Slytherins looked towards each other, "You're really unbelievable. Most students wouldn't even want teachers to ask them questions, much less answer every one of them correctly." Daphne pointed out.

"Well, many of her questions were third and fourth year material, but I did read ahead during the summer. Though there was one other girl who wanted desperately to answer Professor McGonagall's questions. One Hermione Granger, who gave up after the first five questions, realizing that the Professor was hell-bent on questioning me." Harry said as he started on his meal.

Draco made a face, "Granger? Must be a mudblood." Daphne and Tracy threw a look at Draco while Addam seemed uncomfortable with the word.

"Sorry, mudblood?" Harry asked, honestly unaware of the term.

Draco looked slightly surprised Harry did not know the word, "It's kind of a derogatory term for muggleborn."

Harry nodded, making a mental note at Draco's nonchalant attitude with using the word but Addam's discomfort at the sound of it.

Lunch proceeded in a comfortable pace, conversations between the five were frequent and actually quite educational for Harry, learning many things he hadn't known before.

"Harry!" The raven haired boy looked up upon hearing his name. He turned back to see the signature red hair and freckled cheeks of the Weasley family. Wearing slightly stained and worn robes, Ron looked terribly modest, though probably not by choice.

"Weasley." Harry greeted. He frowned inwardly, he did not recall giving him permission to use his first name.

"The next lesson is Charms, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws! Let's go together." Ron loudly exclaimed. Harry looked past him to find Neville meekly following the loud Weasley. One loud and boisterous, the other weak and shy. Fitting.

"I appreciate the offer Weasley, however I regretfully decline your invitation to accompany you on the arduous journey to the Charms Classroom." Harry replied in a dull tone. The fact that Ron did not appear to understand half the sentence made the rest of the group snicker.

"Erm... Alright then, see you, I guess." The red head blankly replied before leaving in a confused fugue state of mind.

When they had left the perimeter, Draco immediately grimaced, "Weasleys, dumb as a rock isn't he?"

Even Addam did not seem to refute his statement, "I'm surprised you can differentiate between a rock and yourself, Malfoy."

"Shut it Marbrand."

Harry glanced at the retreating forms of Longbottom and Weasley, "Indeed..." he muttered absentmindedly.

* * *

The Charms classroom was actually Classroom 2E, located in the third floor. Harry wasn't really sure why Ronald was in such a hurry to get to the Classroom, seeing that it was 20 minutes before lesson time when he had asked Harry. He probably wanted to be seen spending time with the boy-who-lived. Predictable.

When Harry and Addam saw the students starting to leave, they merely followed the stream of first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws to the classroom after saying goodbye to the three Slytherins.

The classroom was different from the Transfiguration classroom or the History classroom. The classroom had six rows of desks, all facing the teacher's table, behind which sits a large upholstered chair with a high back. Two blackboards flank the teacher's table, and behind them is a small shelf with books and other objects, beneath a pair of windows.

The students entered quickly where a struggling Professor Flitwick stepped up a stack of books to be able to see over his desk. "Find a seat, students, quickly. The lesson has already begun."

Harry and Addam sat at the corner of one of the tables, and of course Ron and Neville joined them hastily after spotting them. Harry eyed them with a slight disdain, at first it was entertaining. Now it was getting pretty annoying with them following him around everywhere. He saw Ron lounging about by the open doors to the Great Hall, waiting for him. And when the first years were moving towards the classroom, he could feel his eyes watching his every step. Now _that_ is creepy.

When the students had settled themselves, the Professor started speaking.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to your first lesson of Charms! I am Professor Flitwick, your Charms Professor for, hopefully, the next seven years." The Professor excitedly began. "I am most excited, and I'm sure you are to. Now, I like to start every first lesson of the year with something interesting. Now, many of you may or may not have already read up on your course books. Don't worry, it was not a prerequisite before attending the class. Though I should advise you that reading the material beforehand is highly recommended before coming to lessons. It will not only greatly shorten the time needed to understand my teachings, it will also grant you more time on the practical portions of class."

"Like I said, some of you might not have read your Charms books yet, and thus still unaware of the wonders of Charms work. Let me start off the year with a demonstration!" Flitwick had his wand in his hands instantly.

"Now a charm is a spell that adds certain properties to an object or creature, altering what the object _does. _For example, the color changing charm, **Colosmutare**_**.**_" Pointing his wand at an empty table, a glowing blue spell shot out and hit the table, changing it from a dark oak brown to a lively neon blue.

It was not the most impressive of spellwork, but to the innocent and naive first years, it might as well had been seeing Houdini in action.

"That is one example of a charm that added a color to an object, not necessary changing its physical nature, but merely adding a property to the object. Another example would be the water making spell, **Aguamenti.**" A stream of clear, pure water was conjured from the tip of the Professor's wand, and landed neatly in a bowl prepared beforehand.

"One thing I find necessary for you to realize, is that the power of a charm is greatly dependant on the caster's intent and of course the magical power put in to the spell. Right before I casted the spell, I thought about making a stream of water, focusing on the appropriate speed, volume and density of the liquid conjured. Yet, I could have just as well done this," Stopping the stream of water, Professor flitwick waved his wand in an 'S' shape, this time with a more forceful motion. "**Aguamenti!**"

Now, not a steady stream of water emerged from his wand, but a jet of a merciless force of nature. Crashing into the wall loudly, the splashed on to several students sitting too close to the impact. The jet of water stopped spontaneously, and another wave of his wand, all the water vanished. "The force of the spell alone could have crushed bones." Flitwick ended, leaving most of the students in awe. "Of course a simple spell like Aguamenti was not created for the purposes of the conjuration of a lethal jet of water,

Harry smiled, he was going to like Charms after all.

* * *

Charms class ended with a bang, literally. They were given the last 30 minutes to practice one of the most simple spell, the wand-lighting charm **Lumos.** Harry was the first to finish, successfully casting the spell on the first try, earning 10 points for Ravenclaw. Others were without the same success Harry achieved. They were dismissed when Seamus loudly shouted out **Lumos** in frustration and the results were... mind-blowing to say the least, when an small explosion occurred in front of him.

Flitwick was a fair professor, asking questions and giving points equally to each student he called out for quizzing, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. He had only given Harry 10 points the entire lesson, and that was for the perfect Lumos he had casted. This slightly irked Harry, knowing he could have answered each and every one of his questions with perfection, and earned another hundred points, bring his total up to two hundred on the first day.

However, he remained silent and stoic, not wanting to seem greedy or insufferable by volunteering himself for every question like a certain bushy-haired Ravenclaw who strained herself by stretching her arm far up in the air everytime the professor asked a question.

The first year Ravenclaws had left the Charms classroom laughing, as had the Grynffindors, at Seamus' failure. They were headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class when Harry encountered several olders students.

The Ravenclaws continued onwards, hoping that they had not come for them when they blocked Harry's path, gesturing for the others to leave. Addam Marbrand looked back hesitatingly and looked to have decided to stay until the older student shoved him forward, away from Harry. When the corridor was empty except for them, Harry had already observed his surroundings and found three escape routes if things turned messy.

The older students turned back to Harry in silence before shifting to the side, allowing someone to come through. Harry recognised the soft black hair and silver grey eyes, "Gawain Mallister. Guild leader of Titans," Harry noticed a badge on each of their uniforms, a small golden emblem of a gauntlet holding a lightning bolt in a circle. "To what do I owe this... pleasant surprise?"

"Harry Potter..." Gawain started, his voice soft yet possessed a certain intellectual quality. "I have heard of your exploits, earning over a hundred points in single day, shattering the record by dozens. My record."

Harry tilted his head to a side, "Oh? News travels quickly in Hogwarts."

"Indeed. You remind me so much of myself when I was a firstie. Continue earning points, as much as you can, young Ravenclaw. Impressive show, yes?" Gawain smiled, his eyes staring into Harry's own unflinchingly.

Harry cursed himself for his own innate insatiable curiosity. Here he found a goldmine of information in the form of Gawain Mallister. He could ask him so many questions, hiding under the guise of a naive first-year student. Yet, from what he had observed and deduced from the brief encounter as well as the bits and pieces he had gathered from others, Mallister was a person who respected knowledge, and thus that respect was connected to one who possesed said knowledge. Though he utterly despised those who were moronic or fell beneath the high standards he places on those around him. There was still so much to know, but to risk being on the receiving end of Gawain's distaste in return for the few scraps of knowledge he would inevitable obtain later through other sources anyways...

Deciding to risk it, Harry shrugged "What's so important about points anyways?"

Gawain's smile twitched "You don't understand, do you? In Hogwarts, points are a unit of measurement of a person's worth! It determines your social standing, your desirability, it is your currency. An entire board is dedicated to tracking the top point earners in Hogwarts, and currently, you hold the top position as the only person with over a hundred points."

Harry took on a pensive look while the group turned away. Gawain looked back slightly, "The Titans will be watching you, and be warned, not many takes kindly to young upstart firsties."

Harry watched their retreating forms with slight amusement. He had known that already, that there would be some who did not appreciate the sudden intrusion of his genius. Yet, it was necessary to achieve the required level of fame and influence. Truly, power, be it social or magical, was a double-edge sword.

The fact that Gawain Mallister and his posse personally met him spoke volumes of their interest in Harry. His words before leaving left a clear realization in Harry's mind that the guilds were competing against each other to recruit the best of the best students, usually the rare gem who could choose between guilds to join. Noticing the time, the realization that he was about to be late for his first DADA class made Harry run after the ravenclaw first years.

* * *

Harry reached the DADA classroom without much difficulty, finding the students still crowding the door and ambling to their seats. Addam had already found a companion in the form of another Ravenclaw student. Scanning the class, he spotted someone sitting alone and reading the course book.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

Hermione Granger looked up in surprise, caught unaware by the sudden voice beside her. She had been reading the first year DADA textbook and was very much intrigued by the fascinating content. Ever since she found out she witch and had the ability to use magic, Hermione had been engrossed in the various tomes and books about magic.

She was never really a popular girl in school, realizing what girls her age found interesting was ridiculously childish and without any contribution to enriching their minds. Distancing herself from her peers only made her further outcasted by schoolmates and other children she lived with. Without the luxury of spending time with children her age, Hermione found solace in the books, emersing herself in both fictious stories of knights and dragons and factual textbooks on subjects well beyond her years.

This naturally made her cautious of anyone outside her own personal realm of the comforting texts of books. Hermione did not know what was it that made her speak to the boy prior to her sorting. It was a spur of the moment, impulsive action that did not fit her character at all. When she realized, along with the entire Hogwarts student body, that the raven-haired boy with enchanting green eyes was Harry Potter himself... Hermione had been happy. For an unknown reason, she was happy that the heroic Harry Potter he had read so much about was him.

And now, the very same boy was talking to her, asking her a question!

"Hermione?" Harry hesitantly asked, upon not receiving a response from the girl.

"Oh, sorry, what did you say again?" Hermione quickly replied, her sudden day-dreaming distracting her from his question.

Harry smiled, "Is anyone sitting here?"

"Erm, n-no."

Harry looked hesitant, smiling amusedly he asked, "Well then, may I join you?"

"Oh, oh, of course! I mean... yeah, whatever." Hermione wanted to slap herself for making herself look like an idiot in front of Harry. In fact, right now she wanted to bury herself into the table while Harry pulled out the chair and thanked her after sitting down. She made herself look so desperate for his company.

When the professor entered, the class settled into an uncomfortable silence. The professor struck an enigmatic sillhoutte, a turban wrapped around his head and a cloak billowing slightly behind him. One hand was clutching a book, the other his wand.

When he reached his table, he turned to face the class. "I-I-I-..."

Some of the students made a face, thinking that the professor would probably be incompetent. The turban-wearing professor cleared his throat.

"I am Quirinus Quirrell, Professor Quirell to you. Let's begin immediately, shall we? You are here to learn _about_ the dark arts, not merely defense against it. For to be truly able to counter the dark, one must understand it. Knowing your enemy is half the battle won. Now, turn to page 144 of your textbook."

The rapid transition from introduction to morbid explanation left some students stunned, the more focused quickly flipped open their textbooks while those unprepared fumbled in their bags for the correct one.

"To know about the dark arts, one must first know the beings who utilize it. More specifically, dark creatures. Now what makes a creature dark, there have been many debates on this topic. Most classify dark creatures as sentient creatures willing and able to harm innocents, be it magically, physically or mentally."

The Professor scanned the room, noting the mixed reactions from his words.

"However! I disagree with that statement. For if that was true, wouldn't WE, witches and wizards be classified as dark creatures for we both are willing and able to harm innocents. Thusly proven by the centuries and millenniums of human history. No, what I believe to be the definition of a dark creature, is a sentient being possessed by an instinctive urge to harm innocents. An urge they cannot control."

His statement left a deafening silence, even Hermione who had been furiously scribbling notes for the past lessons was left stunned.

As though not noticing the effects of his speech, Professor Quirrell continued. "A very important aspect which will do you good to keep in mind is that most magical creatures, dark or light, has a natural affinity for an _element_. The four main elements, which most magical philosophers believe to make up nearly everything in the known universe. They are : Water, Fire, Wind and finally Earth. Each element is a crucial part of the elemental cycle. In crude terms, it is this : Water beats Fire, Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Earth, and Earth beats Water."

"Like I said before, most magical creatures are naturally attuned to a single element. A dragon, would possess a magical affinity for fire. A Griffon, wind. A Hydra, water. And a Troll, earth. Similar to the elemental cycle, these elements are weak another, while strong against the other. Meaning, while a dragon could easily kill a griffon, it would be defeated by a Hydra. For while fire beats wind, fire is weak against water."

It was information already known to some purebloods, but to hear it coming from a professor, and so crudely and directly was... enlightening, just like every other student in that class.

A raised hand. The Professor turned to the girl, "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"What about witches and wizards, what element are we attuned to?"

Quirrell smiled, "A brilliant question, one that most definitely concerns my previous phrasing. I mentioned that _Most_ magical creatures possess an affinity to an element. There are a few species who are exceptions to that rule. Humans being one of them. Instead of being naturally gifted, superior at a single element, where there should be a singular affinity for an element, we have none. All elements are open to humans, we are not particularly skilled at fire spells, nor are we particularly weak with water spells."

"What about spells?"

All eyes turned to the boy who had suddenly spoken, out of turn in fact, under the silence where Professor Quirrell had stopped to catch a breath.

"Charms, Hexes, Curses, Jinxes, some may have an elemental attribute, but most do not possess an elemental 'type' to their effects. Do spells follow this elemental cycle?"

"Another excellent question... Mr. Potter. Non-elemental magical abilities are one of the perks we as humans are born with, without the limitation of a single element, and instead a void that takes it place. A void that allows us to use any elemental spell and non-elemental spells as we desire."

Harry nodded, satisfied with the professor's though brief but easily understood explanation.

"Now, as you can see in your textbook, the various attributes and abilities of some dark creatures are described, which includes but not limited to : poisoning, petrification, disease spreading. And in most cases, instant death..."

* * *

Professor Quirrell was different from the other professors Harry have already had. While the other professors preferred to test their students knowledge through frequent questions, Quirrell settled on detailed and bite-sized information that left a deep impression on students. Questions from students were rare, and most usually based out of curiosity rather than misinformation.

Lessons were over for the day, and with the exception of the disappointment that was History class, Harry's first day at Hogwarts was surprisingly satisfying. Remembering the schedule for the next day, Harry realized the first lesson for tomorrow was going to be Potions. He couldn't wait for that class. Harry had experimented so much before he arrived at Hogwarts, but to have an actual potions professor teaching him, could prove to be an invaluable experience.

After the class ended, Addam had opted to continue 'hanging out' with the Ravenclaw student had he had sat with. It was not meant as an offensive gesture, neither did Harry consider it one. That was actually good news for Harry. He was given some time alone to explore the castle and its numerous magical wonders! But first, the Library! Lazy he might be, but gaining knowledge through reading countless amounts of books was not an activity Harry could describe as work.

He had heard that Hogwarts possessed the most largest and diverse library in the world. Well, not exactly the world... China's Royal Magical Library contained almost every copy of every book on magic in the world. Sprites brought back information, in the form of books and scrolls regularly to the library. India's Ivory Library also had a massive amount of books within, enough to last even an avid reader like Harry with a photograpic memory several dozen lifetime, donated by the hundreds of thousands of visitors, pilgrims or travelers who visit the Library, for access to the Library could be attained through the donation of books.

The Magical Library of Congress in the United States also held an eternity's worth of books and scrolls. Similar to its muggle counterpart, there were millions of catalogued books, scrolls, newspapers, reports and even some stone tablets from when paper had not yet been invented. Even so, Harry could spent his entire life in Hogwarts and not be able to finish even half of the many books in Hogwarts' library.

He had found the Hogwarts Library easily enough with the guidance of the map in his Student handbook. He was dubious that the book truly contained every detail of Hogwarts, but it was still very useful for a new student like himself to navigate through the myriad of labyrinths that was the corridors of Hogwarts.

Harry's first look at the interior of the Hogwart's school Library had instantly sent a smile to his face. The ceiling was as high as the Great Hall, but the actual size of the place was bigger than the Hall. Rows of shelves filled to the brim with books ready to burst from its restraints lined the walls and filled the library as much as possible without making it uncomfortable to traverse in between the shelves.

There were two floors, with the first floor containing dozens tables and chairs in the middle of the room. Some of which were already taken by students who had a free period or came to browse the vast selections like Harry did. Ladders leaned on the shelves to assist any student in retrieving their items.

Yet, the thing that caught Harry's eye the most was a large book sitting upon a pedestal. Its pages were flipped opened to a random page, however it was completely blank. Approaching it, Harry inspected the large tome with curiosity, wondering why a blank book was put upon a pedestal in the middle of a library.

"That's the Library's index."

Harry tensed before turning to the one who spoke. It was an older student, in the Hufflepuff House by the looks of the yellow and black tie he wore around his neck. He was a tall and good-looking young man with chiseled features and dark hair with bright grey eyes. His smile seemed honest enough, though Harry didn't let down his guard. It was still his first day at Hogwarts, and he still had a relatively sketchy profile on the students here.

"Cedric Diggory, fourth year." The young man now identified as Cedric waved a hand in greeting.

Instantly, Harry's mind entered analyzing mode. It was more of a force of habit than anything. He recognized the family name, Diggory. It was a minor Noble house with moderate wealth and fame. It still received recognition from the majority of the Wizarding world, despite it's lack of financial or political dominance, mainly due to Eldritch Diggory's tenure as Minister for Magic during the 1880's.

The young man in front of him was a Hufflepuff, a house most commonly known for their honesty and equality. Yet, one couldn't judge a person purely by their House. No, that would be ridiculous. For Harry himself, though a member of a House that prized learning, wisdom, wit and intellect in its members, could be considered bold and courageous if the situation demanded it. And even sly, cunning and certainly ambitious enough to be appraised as a Slytherin.

_'No time for such critical thoughts, he excepts a reply. An introduction as a reply to his own would be the most socially acceptable response.'_

"I'm Harry Potter. Pleasure." Harry introduced himself, casually waving a hand back in greeting.

If Cedric Diggory was and more surprised or glad, he clearly showed it by the slight widening of his grin. "Like I said, that's the library's Index. As you can see, the Hogwart's has an extremely extensive collection, and often searching for a book manually is extremely tedious, not to mention time consuming. Thus, the Index was created. Just take out a quill, write in one of the pages a word or words related to the book, and the Index will create a list of books relevant to your search. If you know the title of the book, it would of course be much more accurate."

"For example, let's say you want a book on Potions." Cedric continued, taking out a quill from within his school robe, writing down the word Potion on the Index. The word stayed for a moment before seemingly seeping into the book's pages, vanishing. A moment later the previously blank pages were suddenly filled with titles of books and their locations. It was also then that Harry noticed that all the shelves in the library were marked with a number and placed under different genres or categories.

"As you can see, the Index brought up every title the library possessed relevant to the search word 'Potions'." Cedric finished, proudly smiling at how fascinating he thought the school's Library was. A perfectly understandable feeling, given how Harry was grinning slightly himself. Not only did the Index show all the titles of the books on Potions, it even included a brief summary on what the book was about and at the top of the page, it showed the total number of items found, which in this case was a little over four hundred thousand. Not surprising considering how broad and vague the search term 'Potions' was.

There was even a filtering option, ranging from publishing date, page number to language.

"Hogwart's Library is truly incredible!" Harry stated with enthusiasm, not needing to fake the excitement in his voice.

Cedric nodded, smiling in agreement. "Well, not _all _the results are shown in the Index. Items that are in the Restricted Section are not included."

This made Harry raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Restricted Section? Where?"

"It's actually the 'secret' third floor of the Library, though its existence is not exactly desperately hidden. Well, actually it's more or less common knowledge amongst the older students. That being said, it's not easy to enter either. The entrance to the restricted section is hidden somewhere on the second floor, and locked with wards and runes placed personally by the Hogwarts Founders, then improved upon by every Headmaster since. Which is why the discovery and entry of the Restricted Section from a student has never been heard of. And though some students remain doubtful of the Restricted Section and considers it a myth, it's existence is widely believed to be real, and placed under high security. After all, centuries of books and tomes on subjects unspeakable to most but the most depraved beings must be careful protected." Cedric explained, finishing in a jokingly ominous tone.

"Yeah, definitely..." Harry narrowed his eyes internally, he had wanted access to the restricted section when he heard of it. Disappointed he was when Harry learned that it was hidden and protected, extensively in fact, he was also rather excited, judging it to be a challenge, rather than a obstacle. He will find the Restricted Section, that was a promise. "Though why keep hundreds or even thousands of books on such... taboo topics in a school of all places."

Cedric shrugged, "Those were originally part of a collection of the Founders, I guess they wanted to keep those near them, and since the protections in place were already as good as possible, the future headmasters must had thought why not just keep those there and continue placing more protections on it. It's not the best idea but... you know what, let's keep off of such ominous topics. Come with me, I will give you a tour on the Library."

Harry's first reaction was of course to decline his invitation, preferring the company of his own thoughts rather than another person's, but it was a chance to gather more information on the school. And as shameful as it was for Harry to admit it, his knowledge on the Magical world was not as comprehensive as he would like others to believe. Cedric seemed friendly enough anyways, and willing to divulge what he knew without judging, so why not exploit a source of information, limited as it could be.

"That'd be nice. Thank you." Harry settled for a brief show in his appreciation, not willing to prostrate himself in a gesture of eternal thankfulness by deliberately and loudly thanking him.

"Hey, don't mention it. It's my duty as your senior to make you feel as welcome as possible." Cedric gave a genuine friendly grin. It took all the artificial empathy and fabricated emotion to muster enough _feeling_ to return a grin as bright as Cedric's.

A tour of the large library took a few minutes and just when Cedric had gestured to the last section containing books on Necromancy, it took Harry by surprise.

"Wait, Necromancy? Like, the art of raising the dead? Isn't that, I don't know, dark magic or something?" Normally, Harry wouldn't stumble over his words like this, contrary to his usual confident and elegant way of speech, but to have shelves of books about Necromancy of all things was actually rather stunning to Harry.

Cedric looked confused for a moment before realizing something, "Well, it's not really as dark as most muggleborns believe it to be. My mother is a muggleborn witch, so I am familiar with the muggle concept of Necromancy. Well, the truth is that Necromancy doesn't have as much to do with sacrificing virgins as muggle media has shown. It is true that reanimating the dead is still sort of a sensitive subject with some people, but it has remained a major type of magic that is practiced worldwide. It's actually a subject that can be taken as an elective in third year."

"Huh." Harry breathed out amusedly, musing with the knowledge that though Necromancy was a widely accepted and practiced magic, books and tomes on the dark arts were still securely protected. Which meant, magicks even viler and simply eviler than Necromancy existed behind the protections of the previous headmasters.

"Oh, one last thing that is really cool." Cedric turned to one of the shelves that took out a random book. Just as the book as leaving the shelf, another book, completely identical to the one Cedric had taken shifted itself from within into the book's place. "The shelves are enchanted to cast a constant Gemino spell on the books. So when someone takes out a book another immediately takes its place, thus that very book always remains available for anyone else who wants to read it. And of course, the books taken out only last two weeks due to the limited amount of magic put in the Gemino spells. Hence, the problem of students never returning borrowed books never occur, as the books taken out will vanish within two weeks, no matter what."

"Wow, our school's library is actually really cool." Harry said, in an awed tone. It was true, the almost luxurious system of basically everything must have made wizards rather decadent and overly reliant, Harry suspected.

"The next destination of our tour is the second floor, but I doubt you could go up." Cedric turned to Harry with a sad smile.

"You doubt my ability to climb stairs?" Harry asked, rather preposterously.

"No, no, no. It's just that, the second floor contains more advanced books on the topics of the first floor. Though they are really useful, they are not actually necessary to our education, completely out of our syllabus actually. Only those who wish to learn more advanced magic go up. And thus to limit the number of students who can get hold of powerful spells but not completely restricting usage of those books, a deterrence is placed in the form of a well, toll. To access the second floor, you have to pay with the points you have gained in School."

"How many?" Harry asked. This must be one of the incentives that encouraged students to work hard and earn points, Harry deduced.

"Well, it's actually pretty steep for entry to a library, albeit with more advanced contents, but I've been told and seen for myself that the price is actually rather worth it for the advanced material that can be found. 10 points per entry, and another 10 every book you wish to take out of the library. And an almost outrageous 150 points for unlimited entry and 100 points for the privilege of borrowing a maximum of 4 books every time you exit the second floor after for the entire year." Cedric revealed. He was not surprised at the open mouth Harry showed in surprise.

"Are the books found on the second floor really worth that much? Even then, are students willing to give up their hard-earned points for mere entry into a section of the library?" Harry found it hard t believe, unless the books inside were really rare and could not be found anywhere else.

"Believe it or not, many do. There aren't any upstairs right now, since it is rare for most to earn the 10 points for an entry, in fact any points at all, on the first day." Cedric replied, looking at the stairs up to the second floor with an unreadable expression. Beside the railing of the stairs was a... Harry could only assume that it was a scanner of sorts. "Entry is granted by letting that platform read your handbook by tapping it against the scanner." Cedric continued.

"So we use our handbooks to basically pay for any incentive that require points? Doesn't that make it attractive to... less moral students who is willing to 'borrow' another's handbook to pay for these luxuries?" Harry asked, not wanting others to be able to steal his points. He wouldn't be able to stop himself from hurting these people, which would only bring unwanted attention from others unto him.

"The Handbook actually explains this in the 'About' page. Since the handbooks are linked to every student's magical signature, only that specific student can use it for any purposes. Which is why nobody can steal it, and even if we lose it, it will just reappear in our rooms due to the summoning charm placed in it." Cedric explained.

"That's actually really neat." Harry commented.

"Hogwarts _is _of course one of the finest magical institutions in Wizarding Europe. The tuition fee alone makes it so." Cedric joked, to which Harry chuckled appropriately.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me not being able to enter, I did earn some points today. Though I won't be accessing the second floor right now." Harry said as he walked away from the staircase, Cedric by his side.

"You did? That's great, firsties usually don't earn many points on the first day, for the first month in fact. How much did you receive today?" Cedric asked.

"A little over a hundred, or something." Harry casually replied, seemingly not interested in what he had achieved.

"Over a hundred! That... That... Are you having me on, Harry?" Cedric asked playfully asked.

Harry inclined his head at an angle towards Cedric, "No, I'm pretty sure I'm not."

"But, that's _insane!_ That must be a new record or something!" Cedric exclaimed excitedly. "And for a first-year student no less."

"Yeah, Gawain Mallister did mention that I broke his old record." Harry mentioned off-handedly, trying to gauge Cedric's reaction to Gawain's name.

And to his expectations, Cedric's tone had a complete change. He turned to Harry seriously, "You spoke with Mallister?"

Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion, "The guild leader of Titans, yes. What's wrong, Cedric?"

Cedric looked around him, looking for anyone who could potentially overhear his next words, finding nobody nearby, he lowered down to Harry's eye-level as he was significantly taller than the eleven year old boy. "Listen Harry, Gawain Mallister is not a... healthy influence. All I can say about him is that he's dangerous. Stay away from him, alright?"

That made Harry wary. "He can't be that bad, right?"

"I wish he wasn't, but... just don't interact with him if at all possible."

Harry narrowed his eyes, "Why? Tell me."

Cedric had already stood up, "Just don't, okay? Listen, I'm almost late for my class. It really was great meeting you, and though I hate to end on such a negative note, heed my words. See you soon."

With that, he left Harry without any answers. What did Gawain Mallister do that made Cedric so wary of him, who was he... The Mallister family was one that leaned more towards the dark than the light, but so was many other families. Why Gawain in particular had Cedric so worked up, so concerned...

"No use thinking about that now. I have some time before dinner, so..." Harry turned to view the entirety of the Library, before focusing on the Index. Grinning, he approached the Index, intending to use its full purposes to his advantage.

* * *

**And done!** I know, I know, I'm sorry I took so long! But I hope you enjoyed it. Now, some stuff to deal with before I end this chapter.

**The adjustments to Hogwarts**, because like many of you have said, I couldn't really see the Hogwarts in canon as _'the finest magical institution in europe, much less the entire wizarding world.' _So I tried my best at some stuff I think I improved, but I'm not really sure of you readers reactions to it. So far, feedback has been positive on the guild system and points system. I'm really glad you guys liked it.

**The elemental cycle**, another thing I introduced abruptly. Okay, I'm just going tell you the truth. I'm envisioning the Harry Potter World in this story to be an RPG-like, fantasy world. And in RPGs, there are of course certain spells that do more damage to a certain type of monster. I kinda want that in my story. I hope you like it, if not tolerate it. If you seriously despise this idea, you think it really ruins the story, then I will either remove it altogether or not mention it at all.

**Necromancy and other dark arts**, I just really like the idea that despite being kinda dark in nature, these dark arts are widely accepted and widely practiced. I can tell that there will of course be some problems with dark wizards who will obviously take advantage of the general consensus that dark arts that don't cross the line (the line being sacrificing babies and other such evil acts) are accepted. I will deal with those kind of in Harry's POV, sort of when such topics pop up in the story, there will be an explanation. Again, if you seriously despise this idea, and think it'd be better to just throw it out the window, I will just (very reluctantly) do so.

**The Library**, I just see a large storage of information being more appropriate for 'one of the finest magical institution'. The book described the library to contain tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves, I wanted to go beyond that in to the hundreds of thousands. When Cedric searched for potions in the index, there were over four hundred thousand results right? But think about it, when you search something on like Google, don't you get millions of results, but a huge chunk of them are actually irrelevant, right? That's the same as the Index, unless the search word(s) are very specific, they will just show any book that was relevant to say 'Potion' in any way, even if it was just mentioned once.

On another note, I have a feeling that this story is going to be _very_ long if I'm going to write a single chapter for each day Harry's at Hogwarts like I've done for like the past 3 chapters. So expect mini-time skips every now and then. If you want me to, I could write out every day with surprising detail, don't think I won't, but it would just be _really_ boring to write and read about.

One other thing! And this is kinda cool. I have Harry Potter idea that I kinda want to explore. But I'm not sure whether to actually do it or not. Okay this is how it goes :

**After Voldemort kills Harry's parents and when he tries to kill the baby, the killing curse is reflected, blah blah blah. However, the first to arrive on the scene is not Sirius or Dumbledore or Hagrid. Ministry agents arrives and discovers the scene, coming to the same conclusion Dumbledore did, that is Harry somehow reflected the AK and killed Voldemort. **

**They bring him back to the Department of Mysteries to find out how he did it. Unlike Dumbledore, however, they find the Horcrux in Harry's scar, and is determined to kill baby Harry in order to destroy the Horcrux. However, before doing so they want to find out how Harry was able to survive the killing curse. Thus, Harry is raised in the DoM, not as Harry Potter the hero who saved the Wizarding World. But as Subject Zero, raised only to be killed when his secrets has been discovered. **

**Also, Harry gains lots of cool powers from their experimentations. One example, passive Legilimency which he uses to discovers the 'scientists' plot to kill him once they figure out what let him survive the killing curse. **

**Of course, he escapes using tons of wandless magic, is found by Albus Dumbledore, brought to Hogwarts, and blah blah blah. **

This is just an idea I've been playing around with in my head. I'm not going to just drop Shadow of the Snake all of a sudden to write it, but I really want your opinion on this plot. I seriously think it's really cool and interesting, and also I want to write a Super Harry. But it's your call, if you don't like the plot, then it's alright, no big deal, I'll just cry in a corner over there.

Once again, Love it, Hate it, Review it. Any help, advice, tips you have to offer will be gladly welcomed. Please review if you have any suggestions or ideas, I would really appreciate it. I don't mind being treated like a moron for your point to get across if you have any complaints or criticisms.

_Seriously, review._

_Well, if you don't, I know where you live. I know where you sleep. And your parents won't recognize you when I am done. (Evil laughter)_


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